BREAKING: Tulsi Gabbard Releases Over 230K MLK Jr. Assassination Files

In a historic move toward government transparency, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the release of more than 230,000 previously classified files related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The massive document drop is part of President Trump’s Executive Order 14176, which ordered the declassification of federal files tied to the assassinations of MLK Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy.

The newly released records—now available at archives.gov/mlk—shine a glaring light on decades of government surveillance, controversial investigations, and lingering questions surrounding Dr. King’s death.

Highlights from the MLK Jr. Files:

• FBI Surveillance & COINTELPRO: The documents confirm that the FBI, under J. Edgar Hoover, waged a deeply invasive campaign against Dr. King, labeling him a threat to national security. Tactics included illegal surveillance, psychological operations, blackmail attempts, and a disturbing push to undermine his credibility and mental health.
• James Earl Ray: The files reassert that Ray fired the fatal shot, but also include international intelligence, new witness accounts, and unexplored leads—some of which suggest Ray may have been manipulated or used as a fall guy. Questions around his movements, associates, and motives continue to cast doubt on the lone gunman theory.
• Government & Local Complicity Allegations: While the files don’t contain a “smoking gun,” they do revisit claims about the involvement of various government agencies, Memphis police, and even possible organized crime links. Many of these were deemed “unfounded” by the House Select Committee on Assassinations, but the 1999 civil court ruling—where the King family won a wrongful death suit—painted a different picture, concluding that MLK was killed as part of a wider conspiracy.
• Day-of Details: Law enforcement presence near the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, was scaled back in curious ways, and newly released memos reveal confusion, conflicting accounts, and missed opportunities that allowed the assassin to slip away. Still, no direct evidence of a coordinated cover-up has been confirmed—only patterns that raise more questions.

A Message from the King Family

Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice A. King responded to the release with a deeply personal statement, urging the public to approach the files with empathy and context. They reiterated their belief that James Earl Ray did not act alone and expressed concern that the government’s disinformation campaign—targeting their father during his life—might be revived through irresponsible interpretations of these documents.

“The release of these files must be viewed within their full historical context… Those who promote the fruit of the FBI’s surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father and the Civil Rights Movement,” they wrote.

They also reaffirmed their support for transparency, justice, and the dream of the “Beloved Community” that their father envisioned—a society rooted in truth, compassion, and equality.

What Comes Next?

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has confirmed that a full congressional hearing on the MLK files is being prepared, potentially bringing even more revelations into the public sphere. With more files on JFK and RFK still slated for declassification, this could mark a major shift in how America reckons with its most haunting political assassinations.

For now, the public has direct access to the trove of MLK documents, many of which have never been seen before.

Whether these records confirm long-held suspicions or generate even deeper questions, one thing is clear: the fight for historical truth is far from over.