MLK Files Summary: What Released Documents Reveal

The documents were disclosed in spite of long-held objections from King's family that they could be misused to distort his legacy.

Critics have questioned the timing of this release as the government published the files amid an ongoing controversy engulfing the Trump administration. The president's supporters are calling for him to release files related to the crimes of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Some of the files are blurry and illegible, having deteriorated over time and suffered in the digitization process.

According to The New York Times, several historians said the files did not disclose new information about King's assassination, and that the release did not include tapes or transcripts of the FBI's wiretapping and surveillance of the civil rights leader. Those files are set to remain under seal until 2027.

The FBI conducted extensive surveillance of King as part of a campaign to undermine his leadership and discredit the civil rights movement. Former FBI Director James Comey has since described the investigation as an example of "abuse and overreach" in the agency's history.

The civil rights leader was shot dead on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray, a segregationist, was later convicted of the killing.

King's family has long expressed doubts about whether Ray acted alone or was even involved in the killing.