Bernice King, daughter of civil rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is calling on former President Donald Trump to release the full, unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files—just hours after the U.S. government made public over 230,000 pages related to her father’s 1968 assassination.
“Now, do the Epstein files,” King, 62, posted on X (formerly Twitter) Monday evening, along with a photo of her father. Her message came shortly after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the unprecedented document dump, pledging “complete transparency” on the King assassination.
Bernice King, who was just five years old when her father was killed, issued a joint statement with her brother, Martin Luther King III, supporting the push for truth but warning against political exploitation.
“While we support transparency and historical accountability, we object to any attacks on our father’s legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods,” the siblings said.
Civil rights leaders were quick to question the timing and motives behind the release of the MLK files.
The King Center—led by Bernice King—criticized the disclosure, calling it a distraction from more urgent issues.
“It is unfortunate and ill-timed, given the myriad of pressing issues and injustices affecting the United States and the global society,” the center said in a statement.
Rev. Al Sharpton went further, accusing Trump of using the MLK files as a political smokescreen.
“This isn’t about transparency or justice,” Sharpton said. “It’s a desperate attempt to shift attention from the growing firestorm over Trump’s ties to Epstein and the collapse of his credibility, even among his MAGA base.”
The release of the MLK documents comes amid increasing pressure on Trump to make public all records related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. Earlier this month, the Trump administration concluded there was no evidence Epstein maintained a so-called “client list,” sparking backlash from within conservative circles.
Trump has dismissed the Epstein controversy as a “hoax” fueled by Democrats—who in turn accuse him of using conspiracy theories, including claims about former President Barack Obama’s involvement in the Russia investigation, to deflect scrutiny.
“Why do we think President Joe Biden or President Barack Obama’s names are being invoked?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked reporters Monday. “Because Donald Trump is running scared.”
Adding fuel to the controversy, a Wall Street Journal report this week claimed Trump once sent Epstein a bawdy 50th birthday card. The following day, Trump’s legal team filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts from the prosecutions of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
But legal experts warn the move may be more symbolic than substantive.
“One former prosecutor said the release is unlikely to reveal much—if anything,” the report notes. “It’s designed to make it look like he’s taking action when, in reality, he’s not.”
As scrutiny builds, Bernice King’s appeal is gaining attention: a call not just for transparency about the past, but for truth in the present.
