King Family Responds After Trump Orders Release Of Assassination Files On Civil Rights Leader

On Thursday, the FBI plans to make public files related to the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and former U.S. Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

That's a significant one, is that so?" Trump asked. "I'm aware that people have been waiting for this for a very long time." He said, "Everything will be made clear.

Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, children of the civil rights leader, were quoted together,

This event has been a profound and deeply personal loss for our family that has lasted for 56 years. We are hoping to be given the chance to review the documents before they are made public.

The order directs a step-by-step process for releasing the files. Agencies such as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice have to create plans within 45 days for releasing files related to Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy. For files associated with President Kennedy, the deadline is 15 days.

The Congress hasn't specifically demanded the release of documents related to Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy, but the order points out a broader interest in openness. "It is in the national interest to release all records related to these assassinations without delay," the order says.

The release of FBI documents on the 1960s assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedy brothers is particularly significant. For many years, much of this information has been kept secret from the public. Dr. King was fatally shot in 1968 while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassination occurred not long after the killing of President John F. Kennedy, who had worked closely with King to advance civil rights for African Americans.

This surveillance of King and other civil rights leaders has contributed to ongoing speculation about the government's role in his assassination, even though a 1979 congressional committee found no evidence of involvement by federal, state, or local agencies.