The family of Martin Luther King Jr. worries that a release of government documents ordered by President Donald Trump will revive “smears” the FBI pushed against the civil rights leader decades ago. Last month, Trump signed an executive order to divulge records related to the assassinations of King and former President John F. Kennedy—both frequent sources of conspiracy theories. But Axios has reported that the president denied a request from King’s family members to preview the records, which they fear will tarnish his reputation. “We know J. Edgar Hoover tried to destroy Dr. King’s legacy, and the family doesn’t want that effort to prevail,” a family friend told Axios. While King was fighting for civil rights for Black Americans during the 1960s, the FBI spied on him and tried to humiliate him by leaking details about King’s alleged affairs to the press. Another source close to the family confirmed that they are concerned about “smears” released “under the guise of transparency.” A White House spokesperson told Axios that the president denied the family’s request because he believes that “these records don’t belong to them. These are the public’s records.”
