FBI lapses, missed leads, and fresh interviews: Trump admin releases Martin Luther King Jr., Hillary Clinton probe files; what do they reveal?

Time of India

4 days ago

Martin Luther King Jr and Hillary Clinton
The Trump administration dropped documents on Monday, and no, it wasn't the long-awaited Epstein files. Instead, the release spotlighted two old favourites: the FBI's surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr and his assassination in 1968, and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and mishandling of highly classified information during her time as Secretary of State.
More than 6,000 documents — adding up to nearly 250,000 pages — tied to the 1968 assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and 35 pages from Hilary Clinton's file were made public late Monday.
Hillary Clinton, who held the position of secretary of state in Barack Obama's administration between 2009 and 2013, faced an FBI investigation regarding allegations of inappropriate handling of classified information through a private email server.
In 2016, prior to the significant presidential election between Clinton and Donald Trump, the FBI recommended to the Department of Justice against pursuing criminal charges in the matter.
This came after director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's bombshell claims that Obama-era officials reportedly "manufactured and politicized intelligence" to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election.
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Here are some key facts about Clinton's file
"This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI's investigation of former Secretary Clinton's email usage and mishandling of highly classified information," Grassley said in a Monday press release.
"Under Comey's leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor. The Comey FBI's negligent approach and perhaps intentional lack of effort in the Clinton investigation is a stark contrast to its full-throated investigation of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which was based on the uncorroborated and now discredited Steele dossier. Comey's decision-making process smacks of political infection," he added.
The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General's Clinton addendum reveals that while the FBI acquired USB drives from an informant during their Clinton investigation, senior officials including Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Special Agent Peter Strzok and colleagues neglected to conduct specific, focused examinations of these storage devices, despite their relevance to the enquiry.
The report demonstrated that due to this oversight, the FBI's investigation of the Clinton matter was incomplete, failing to properly assess the national security implications of Clinton's negligent handling of classified materials. The DOJ OIG noted that these drives contained sensitive data extracted from various US government departments, including State Department files, correspondence from then-President Barack Obama, and possibly congressional materials. Despite a preliminary FBI memo suggesting otherwise, these storage devices never underwent proper scrutiny as part of the Clinton investigation. The DOJ OIG findings additionally indicate that whilst these drives warranted immediate analysis for potential foreign intelligence concerns, this crucial step was overlooked.
"The intelligence reports alleged that the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy," Grassley's release reported.
Martin Luther King Jr lost his life to an assassin's shooting in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, while broadening his focus beyond the peaceful movement for African American civil rights to encompass economic equality and peace advocacy. His tragic passing sent shockwaves across the United States during a tumultuous year marked by racial unrest, protests against the Vietnam War, and the subsequent assassination of presidential hopeful Robert F.
Kennedy.
Here are some key details from King Jr files:
Gabbard released the documents in partnership with the justice department, central intelligence agency, national archives and the FBI, detail the federal investigation into the shooting at Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., which resulted in 39-year-old King's death.
'Today, after nearly 60 years of questions surrounding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are releasing 230,000 MLK assassination files,' Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X.
"The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation's great leaders," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump's direction for this latest disclosure."
The newly released King assassination files contain investigative leads, interviews with associates of James Earl Ray, and previously undisclosed information about international intelligence cooperation during Ray's pursuit, according to US government officials.
A recently disclosed audio recording features a police interview with Jerry Ray, the brother of James Earl Ray. Officials noted that these documents had remained undigitised and neglected in various federal facilities for many years.
The quality of numerous documents has deteriorated significantly due to age and digitalisation. The records encompass diverse aspects of the investigation, including newspaper articles, public information, details about Ray's attendance at dance lessons and locksmith training, and his preference for using pseudonyms inspired by James Bond literature.