FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ODNI News Release No. 16-25
July 21, 2025
DNI Gabbard, in Partnership with DOJ, FBI, CIA, and NARA, Release Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination Files
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 21, 2025, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard released over 230,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK), in accordance with President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14176.
This unprecedented release follows through on President Trump’s commitment to fully release previously-classified records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy (JFK), Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and MLK, and was carried out in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the National Archives.
Unlike the majority of the JFK assassination files — which were identified and released in accordance with federal law — the MLK files in today’s release had never been digitized and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades, until today.
The documents include details about the FBI’s investigation into the assassination of MLK — including the discussion of potential leads, internal FBI memos detailing the progress of the case, and documents related to James Earl Ray’s former cellmate, who stated he discussed with Ray an alleged assassination plot. Additionally, as James Earl Ray fled the country following the assassination, the release includes unique foreign evidence from a Canadian police department. Never-before-seen CIA records outline overseas intelligence on the international hunt for the prime suspect in the assassination.
"I am grateful to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for delivering on their pledge of transparency in the release of these documents on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr," said Dr. Alveda King. "My uncle lived boldly in pursuit of truth and justice, and his enduring legacy of faith continues to inspire Americans to this day. While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve."
“The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” said DNI Gabbard. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history. I extend my deepest appreciation to the King family for their support.”
“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.”
“In partnership with ODNI and FBI, today’s release represents a significant milestone in CIA’s efforts to deliver maximum transparency to the American people,” said CIA Director John Ratcliffe. “CIA is proud to contribute to President Trump’s historic initiative to declassify and release intelligence information that serves the public’s interest.”
“Today’s record release marks a historic step in the Trump Administration’s ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability," said Secretary of State and Acting U.S. Archivist Marco Rubio. "Preserving, protecting, and releasing the records of the U.S. government is at the core of NARA’s mission. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and a coordinated interagency process, NARA was able to review and release the records at an unprecedented speed.”
While some of the documents released were made public through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, today’s release is the first time these records are published online in one collection with minimal redactions for privacy reasons — including redactions for Social Security Numbers and grand jury information. As agencies continue to search government facilities for additional files, the new documents will be uploaded alongside the previously released files at archives.gov/mlk to ensure all MLK assassination documents can be found in a centralized location. Two-weeks in advance of today’s release, members of the King family were provided an opportunity to review the files.
DNI Gabbard will post updates on X (@DNIGabbard) and Truth Social (@DNlTulsiGabbard).
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