The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., left, appearing in a Chicago news conference with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk from Vietnam, suggests a halt in the bombing of Vietnam on May 31, 1966. (Edward Kitch/AP)

By Spencer S. Hsu

A federal judge on Wednesday began what he said could be a “long journey” toward releasing FBI surveillance records of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but only after consulting with King’s family and supporters who cautioned that disclosing biased or fabricated accounts could mar his legacy.

After an hour-long hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon acknowledged the Justice Department’s recent request to make the records public two years before their scheduled unsealing. The request is part of President Donald Trump’s call “for the full and

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