Tulsi Gabbard’s crusade for transparency just took another historic turn. On Monday, the Director of National Intelligence released a massive trove of 230,000 files related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., fulfilling part of President Trump’s sweeping declassification order. While the move was praised by some, it has also reignited decades-old tensions within the King family—and raised new questions about the government’s role in both protecting and persecuting civil rights icons.

According to the official statement from Gabbard’s office, the documents include internal FBI memos, witness accounts, and investigative notes detailing everything from James Earl Ray’s behavior to allegations made by Ray’s former cellmate about a possible assassination plot. The full archive is now publicly accessible at archives.gov/mlk.

Gabbard framed the release as a milestone in restoring truth and accountability, highlighting how it stemmed directly from President Trump’s Executive Order 14176. That order not only directed the MLK file release but also authorized full disclosure of records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Gabbard said the effort required three unprecedented interagency collaborations to locate, digitize, and declassify these long-buried documents.

Dr. Alveda King, niece of the civil rights leader, applauded the release as a “historic step toward the truth that the American people deserve.” Her endorsement mirrored the tone of Gabbard’s announcement, reinforcing the idea that transparency is essential to national healing.

But MLK’s son and daughter—Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice A. King—issued a sharply different response. While acknowledging the need for transparency, they warned the public to approach the documents with deep skepticism. Citing the FBI’s infamous COINTELPRO program, which targeted and tried to discredit Dr. King during his lifetime, the siblings called on Americans to resist weaponizing these files against their father’s legacy.

Their statement pointedly reminded the public that the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover orchestrated a “predatory and deeply disturbing disinformation campaign” against King in the 1960s. They stressed that these files, born out of surveillance and deceit, could easily be misused to further smear his name or distort the history of the Civil Rights Movement.

While the federal government maintains James Earl Ray acted alone, the King family’s position has long differed. They reiterated their belief in the findings of a 1999 civil suit, which concluded that Ray had been set up and that others were responsible for the murder. That trial, which ended with a symbolic ruling in favor of the King family, has never been accepted by federal investigators—but remains a cornerstone of the family’s public stance.

This newly opened archive now puts the American public in a position to judge for themselves. But it also opens the door to another round of heated debate: whether these documents reveal new facts or simply resurrect old tactics meant to silence and smear political dissenters.

The files themselves may take months or even years to fully comb through, but the immediate political fallout is already underway. Gabbard’s push aligns with her broader campaign to expose corruption across the intelligence community—a mission that’s won praise from grassroots conservatives and earned her renewed relevance as DNI under Trump.

Whether these records exonerate, incriminate, or complicate the history of Dr. King’s assassination, they will undoubtedly shape public understanding for years to come.

And that’s exactly the kind of impact Gabbard—and President Trump—appear to be aiming for.