Trump administration releases FBI files on Martin Luther King Jr. despite family objections
The records had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977, when the FBI first gathered the documents and handed them to the National Archives and Records Administration. King's family, including his two living children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, were informed in advance and had teams reviewing the documents ahead of the public release, CNN stated.
In a statement released on Monday, the siblings described the case as one that has sparked "captivating public curiosity for decades." However, they urged the public to approach the files with sensitivity and care. "As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief-a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met-an absence our family has endured for over 57 years," they said. "We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continuing grief."
CNN noted that Bernice King was five and Martin III was ten years old when their father was assassinated in 1968. President Donald Trump, who had previously pledged to release documents related to historical assassinations, signed an executive order earlier this year to declassify the JFK, RFK, and MLK records. The government released the JFK records in March and some RFK files in April.
The release of the King records also comes amid public criticism of the administration's handling of records tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump recently directed the Justice Department to release grand jury testimony related to Epstein but did not unseal the entire file, CNN reported.
The FBI documents were initially meant to remain sealed until 2027. However, the Department of Justice requested a federal judge to lift the sealing order ahead of schedule. According to CNN, historians and journalists have been preparing to comb through the documents in search of new details surrounding King's assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis.
The SCLC, which King co-founded in 1957, opposed the release, echoing the King family's concerns that the files emerged from an illegal surveillance effort. The group and the family allege that the FBI monitored King and other civil rights leaders with the intent to "discredit" them and their movement.
In their statement, King's children declared, "He was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)." They further added, "The intent of the government's COINTELPRO campaign was not only to monitor, but to discredit, dismantle and destroy Dr. King's reputation and the broader American Civil Rights Movement. These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth -- undermining the dignity and freedoms of private citizens who fought for justice, designed to neutralize those who dared to challenge the status quo."
CNN reported that opposition to King from law enforcement and intelligence agencies only increased after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As King focused more on economic justice and international peace, including opposition to the Vietnam War, he was increasingly seen as a threat by figures like Hoover.
King was assassinated in Memphis while supporting a strike by sanitation workers, a campaign consistent with his focus on economic rights. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the assassination but later recanted, claiming innocence until his death in 1998. Coretta Scott King pushed for a new probe into the murder, leading then-Attorney General Janet Reno in 1998 to order the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department to revisit the case. However, the department found "nothing to disturb the 1969 judicial determination that James Earl Ray murdered Dr. King."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
2 hours ago
- Observer
Boeing emerges as a winner in Trump's trade wars
There typically aren't many winners in a trade war, but Boeing appears to be reaping some rewards from the one started by President Donald Trump. The aerospace company has received a steady stream of new orders as part of trade deals between the United States and other countries. These sales could be a boon for Boeing as it emerges from years of bruising crises. They also allow Trump to claim that his unconventional trade policies are helping American manufacturing. Orders for hundreds of Boeing jets have been announced in deals with Indonesia and Japan this month, as well as Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar earlier in the year. 'Ever since his first term, his trade deals have generally involved these kinds of purchase agreements,' said Bruce Hirsh, a trade policy expert at Capitol Counsel, a lobbying firm in Washington that has clients in the aerospace industry. 'Our trading partners know this, so they're looking for these kinds of big-ticket items that they can offer to purchase.' Some aviation analysts are skeptical that U.S. trade negotiators had to twist arms to persuade countries to buy Boeing planes. Airlines, including those controlled by foreign governments, plan such expensive purchases carefully and over months, if not years. Moreover, airlines have few choices, since Boeing and Airbus of France are the only two suppliers of large commercial jets. Still, those experts said, it was not surprising that Trump and his aides have made a point of highlighting new Boeing orders as part of their trade deals. The company employs tens of thousands of Americans and is one of the country's top exporters. Wall Street has also taken note of the announcement of new orders, and Boeing's share price has climbed steadily since early April, when Trump announced steep new tariffs on many countries. Analysts note that the trade deal announcements could generate even more orders. That's because customers who haven't placed orders may feel pressure to buy planes now or risk having to wait when they need them. Planes ordered today will typically be delivered years from now. Boeing, which declined to comment for this article, has seemed to welcome Trump's interest in its business. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg joined Trump on a May visit to the Middle East, during which the Qatar deal was announced. 'If the president of the country says, 'Come with me and be certain that we sign something big that says there will be many jobs in the U.S.,' what will you do?' said Adam Pilarski, president of Avitas, an aviation consulting firm. However, Pilarski and other experts cautioned that the orders might not be nearly as substantial as they initially appeared. The administration, other countries, and Boeing have offered few details about the deals, suggesting that at least some are still subject to complex negotiations between the manufacturer and airlines. This month, for example, Trump stated that Indonesia had agreed to purchase 50 Boeing jets. Later, however, an Indonesian official said the deal was still being hashed out between Garuda, a state-owned airline, and Boeing. 'I suspect these orders are, as we used to joke at air shows, MOUTHLs — memoranda of understanding to have lunch,' said Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, a consulting firm. 'The real hard work of contract negotiation and finance package negotiation takes place after the president's plane has left the country.' Even if the orders are confirmed with formal contracts, many probably would have been placed even without Trump's intervention, experts said. In May, Qatar Airways, a large airline that operates many long-distance flights, placed an order for 150 of Boeing's wide-body planes. The announcement was notably thorough. 'They involved press conferences, shaking hands, everything but the proverbial kissing of the babies,' said Courtney Miller, managing director of Visual Approach Analytics, an aviation consulting firm. That deal, he said, probably would have been placed anyway, even if the timing had been accelerated to align with Trump's visit. While some orders may be the result of real political pressure, even then, a lot can change by the time the planes are ready to be delivered. Boeing and Airbus each have thousands of planes on order, which will account for many years of production. In that time, airlines can back out of agreements, though they may have to forfeit deposits. Customers can also ask Boeing or Airbus to delay deliveries or reduce their orders. A manufacturer may be willing to make such changes, especially if doing so will allow it to sell those planes to another airline that is desperate for new jets. (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) Before it can turn new orders into profits, Boeing has many pressing problems it still needs to address. The company is years behind securing regulatory approval for several important jets — the smallest and largest variants of the 737 Max and the 777-9, which started test flights for Federal Aviation Administration certification this month. Another reason Trump's intervention may not be significant is that demand for planes has been strong for years. It's the supply of new planes that's limited. Boeing, in particular is in catch-up mode. Its most popular plane, the 737 Max, was grounded for nearly two years after two fatal crashes. Then the pandemic fouled up supply chains. Last year, the company had to slow production at its factories after a panel blew off a plane during a flight. Last fall, a weekslong strike left Boeing woefully behind. Even Trump's trade war could take a toll. The tariffs Trump has imposed may threaten the financial health of Boeing's suppliers, and the prospect of retaliation by U.S. trading partners, such as the European Union, could harm the plane maker's sales. This week, the budget airline Ryanair announced that it would consider deferring deliveries of Boeing planes if European officials were to impose tariffs on American planes. European leaders may take other steps that could hurt Boeing. If the trade deals that the United States strikes with other countries give Boeing too big an advantage, Europe could try to entice other countries to order more planes from Airbus, experts said. 'If this game is going to be played, the question is, in the long term, who plays it better?' Miller said. 'It has reopened a very old dynamic of aligning aircraft and airline economics with geopolitical favor.' This article originally appeared in
Observer
14 hours ago
- Observer
The forgotten bond between Liberia and America
When my brother asks me about what Netflix series I'm currently watching, I answer vaguely about being busy watching world news. My world news since November had been focusing on one person: President Trump. Being part of a very conventional Arabic culture, I always found the American Dream and becoming whatever you want hard to digest. You see, where I come from, you only treat people if you're a doctor and build things if you're an engineer. But become the president of a powerful country when you're a businessman with no political background - and still get elected - was fascinating and worth watching the consequence of during both terms. Everything about the first term was chaotic and my American friend Di kept sending apologetic messages on behalf of nice Americans that Trump doesn't represent. I still remember the month of November of 2020 - amidst the Covid-19 pandemic- when I received an ecstatic text from her declaring Biden's victory and how things will go back to normal. Four years later, the doubt crept in again while I joked that at least news will be fun to watch. For the past few months, I've been following news clips from different American news channels where topics were changing on daily bases: The Big Beautiful Bill, unexplainable administrative changes, mass deportation and mistreatment of immigrants and citizens alike and lately the Epstein files. But what surpasses all is the White House visits that seem like a bully trap for world leaders where some would fight back (Ukraine's Zelensky), tease back (Canada's Carney) or totally yield (Arab and African leaders). The recent bullying session was under the name of the African Summit that included leaders of five countries: Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. The newsclips focused only on two: Mauritania's president Ghazouani who was nervously addressing an impatient Trump in French to finally be cut off and Liberian president Boakai who laughed incredulously when Trump complimented him for his good English, then looked baffled when he realised that Trump wasn't aware that English is Liberia's official language. To my shame, I didn't know much about Liberia either - other than it's mentioned in Michael Jackson's song Liberian Girl - and decided to find out more. Liberia is in the West coast of Africa with a capital called Monrovia (in honour of American President Monroe who supported it's establishment) and the currency of Liberian Dollar. In 1822, the American Colonisation Society sent African Americans - slaves and freeborn - to Africa, believing that they'd have a better life away from slavery and lack of civil rights (also fearing their uprise or rebellion). They settled in what was known to European traders as the Pepper Coast - later the Grain coast - and gave it the name Liberia which meant in Latin the 'Land of the Free'. The African American settlers didn't mix with the indigenous, instead they called themselves Americo-Liberians and practiced their American heritage including Protestant faith and republican values. They declared independence in 1847 that the US only recognised in 1862. Liberia is the first and the oldest republic in Africa that was never a European colony (along with Ethiopia). As the country was rich in rubber production, American company Firestone Tire invested in it at the start of the 20th century. Moreover, Liberia supported the US military in WWII which resulted in American investments in the country's infrastructure and economic development. However, it went through two civil wars in 1989-1997 and 1998-2003 between Americo-Liberians and the Indigenous. In general, American and Liberian historic ties are strong yet unknown to many of us, including President Trump. Hope you enjoyed this fascinating history lesson! The writer is author of The World according to Bahja
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Times of Oman
US Prez Trump asks tech giants to stop building factories, hiring from India, other countries
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump has called for eschewing "radical globalism" pursued by some of the country's firms, including tech giants like Google, Meta and Microsoft, among others, to "stop building factories" and "hiring workers" from countries including India. "For too long, much of our tech industry pursued a radical globalism that left millions of Americans feeling distrustful and betrayed. And you know that," Trump said. "Many of our largest tech companies have reaped the blessings of American freedom while building their factories in China, hiring workers in India, and slashing profits in Ireland. You know that. All the while dismissing and even censoring their fellow citizens right here at home," Trump said ahead of unveiling his administration's "AI Action Plan." He said this in his address to the All-In Podcast and Hill & Valley Forum AI Summit in Washington, DC on Wednesday (local time) Washington, DC. Trump signed three new executive orders: expediting permitting for AI infrastructure, boosting exports of US-developed AI, and banning federal procurement of AI systems with political or ideological bias. During his remarks at the AI Summit, Trump urged US tech companies to be "all in for America." "We want you to put America first. You have to do that. That's all we ask. That's all we ask to partner with our tech geniuses and achieving this vision. Today, we're releasing the White House AI action plan. Big stuff," Trump said. The US President said that in a few months, "Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft are all investing $320 billion dollars or more in data centers and AI infrastructure this year" adding that Nvidia has committed $500 billion over the next four years. "For decades, we had leaders who spent their time focused on building up foreign nations. Under the Trump administration, we are going to have leaders who are going to build up our nation. This colossal investment in AI infrastructure and many other industries for that matter such as automobiles and so many other things will also create thousands and thousands of great paying jobs. the kind of jobs we want, including lots of blue collar jobs," Trump said. Taking aim at his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump said, "The last administration was obsessed with imposing restrictions on AI, including extreme restrictions on its exports." This he said "alienated American partners and drove even our friends into the arms of China and other countries," Trump said noting that he had upon assuming office "repealed the so-called Biden diffusion rule," which crippled American AI exports. Further he said," We created the digital age, and now we are leading the world into the golden age. Indeed, the golden age of America. With your help, that golden age will be built by American workers. It will be powered by American energy. It will be run on American technology, improved by American artificial intelligence."
