Martin Luther King Jr. FBI Records Released By Trump Administration: Al Sharpton Says, 'Desperate Attempt' To Distract People From Epstein Firestorm

On Monday, the Trump administration made public over 240,000 pages of FBI surveillance records on Martin Luther King Jr., a move that has sparked controversy among King’s family and the civil rights organization he co-founded.

What Happened: The documents were under a court seal since 1977. The FBI initially collected these records, which were later transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration, reported AP News.

The files contain leads the FBI pursued post King’s assassination and the CIA’s focus on King’s transition to international anti-war and anti-poverty movements in the years preceding his death.

King’s offspring, Martin III and Bernice, who had early access to the records, stressed the personal aspect of the issue and encouraged the files to “be viewed within their full historical context.”

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard labeled the disclosure as “unprecedented” and commended President Donald Trump for advocating the matter. The records were originally set to be sealed until 2027.

However, some civil rights activists, including Rev. Al Sharpton, censured the release as a diversion from the Trump administration’s management of other sensitive records.

“It's a desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unraveling of his credibility among the MAGA base,” said Sharpton.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King co-founded, objected to the release, contending that the FBI’s surveillance of King and other civil rights figures was unlawful.

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Why It Matters: The Trump administration has a history of declassifying sensitive documents. In 2017, President Trump released over 2,800 files related to the investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination, as reported by Benzinga. However, nearly 250 documents were held back for a 180-day review by government agencies.

As a candidate in the 2024 elections, Trump promised to release records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He signed an order to do that in January after being sworn in.

In April, Trump also made public approximately 10,000 pages of records related to the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.).

On Friday, Trump called for the release of additional documents related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein investigation and threatened legal action against The Wall Street Journal over what he claimed was a false article. He directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval to unseal grand jury testimony and criticized the Journal for publishing a letter he alleged was fake.

Trump’s recent actions appeared aimed at pushing back against renewed scrutiny over his past ties to Epstein, following a Wall Street Journal report about a birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell that included a letter from him. The move also sought to reassure supporters who were angered by the Justice Department's refusal to release more Epstein-related documents.

Photo Courtesy: lazyllama on Shutterstock.com

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal