The Rev. Al Sharpton is criticizing the Trump administration's move to release files related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., believing they are trying to distract from the controversy related to Jeffrey Epstein.
"We need to be crystal clear on the fact that [President Donald] Trump releasing the MLK assassination files is not about transparency or justice, 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," Sharpton said in a statement. "It's the same federal law enforcement that followed his every step and sought to silence his voice that is now using him as a pawn in a cheap political stunt."
Sharpton said Trump was trying to weaponize King's legacy to serve his cynical agenda.
"I urge the public to see this for what it is and not fall for the bait and switch," Sharpton said. For a man who has complained about the supposed weaponization of the FBI, it has clearly become his weapon of choice."
The Justice Department released more than 240,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of King, including records from the FBI, which had surveilled the civil rights leader. Files were posted on the website of the National Archives, which noted more would be released.
The FBI kept files on King in the 1950s and 1960s — even wiretapping his phones — because of what the bureau said at the time were his suspected ties to communism during the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union. In recent years, the FBI has acknowledged that as an example of "abuse and overreach" in its history.
The civil rights leader's family asked those who engage with the files to "do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continuing grief" and condemned "any attempts to misuse these documents."
"Now more than ever, we must honor his sacrifice by committing ourselves to the realization of his dream— a society rooted in compassion, unity, and equality," they said in a statement.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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