King’s family objected to the release, saying the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s surveillance of the progressive leader was tainted by the agency’s political bent at the time.

US President Donald Trump's administration has released a trove of records on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, including FBI surveillance files on the civil rights leader.

“We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief,” the statement said.