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''Newsweek'' reported that the murder stoked right-wing "Clinton conspiracy theories" and that Rich's parents were distressed by the politicization of his murder.<ref name="newsweek"/> The killing of Rich has given rise to conspiracy theories in rightwing circles that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party had Seth Rich killed allegedly because he was the source of the ].<ref name=":3" /> In August, ] offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction;<ref name=Joseph/><ref name=WaPo10Aug16>, '']'', August 10, 2016.</ref> Rich's family stated they were unable to verify this reward offer.<ref name="OWH_vow">{{cite news|url=http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/parents-of-dnc-staffer-seth-rich-vow-to-find-his/article_b55fc7c9-e5d7-5e25-9e80-c7d2a264441b.html|title=Parents of DNC staffer Seth Rich vow to find his killer; reward now $125,000|last1=Morton|first1=Joseph||date=November 23, 2016|work=Omaha World Herald|accessdate=January 23, 2017}}</ref> An anonymous federal investigator has said that he saw an FBI forensic report of Rich's computer, written less than 96 hours after Rich's murder, indicating that Rich had contacted Wikileaks via ], an American living in London who is now deceased.<ref name=Mills>Mills, Curt. , '']'' (May 16, 2017).</ref><ref>Zimmerman, Malia. , '']'' (May 16, 2017).</ref> ''Newsweek'' reported that the murder stoked right-wing "Clinton conspiracy theories" and that Rich's parents were distressed by the politicization of his murder.<ref name="newsweek"/> The killing of Rich has given rise to conspiracy theories in rightwing circles that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party had Seth Rich killed allegedly because he was the source of the ].<ref name=":3" /> In August, ] offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction;<ref name=Joseph/><ref name=WaPo10Aug16>, '']'', August 10, 2016.</ref> Rich's family stated they were unable to verify this reward offer.<ref name="OWH_vow">{{cite news|url=http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/parents-of-dnc-staffer-seth-rich-vow-to-find-his/article_b55fc7c9-e5d7-5e25-9e80-c7d2a264441b.html|title=Parents of DNC staffer Seth Rich vow to find his killer; reward now $125,000|last1=Morton|first1=Joseph||date=November 23, 2016|work=Omaha World Herald|accessdate=January 23, 2017}}</ref> An anonymous federal investigator has said that he saw an FBI forensic report of Rich's computer, written less than 96 hours after Rich's murder, indicating that Rich had contacted Wikileaks via ], an American living in London who is now deceased.<ref name=Mills>Mills, Curt. , '']'' (May 16, 2017).</ref><ref>Zimmerman, Malia. , '']'' (May 16, 2017).</ref>


Republican lobbyist ] has stated that he is offering an additional $105,000, also unverified.<ref name="OWH_vow"/><ref name=WJLA>, ], December 5, 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Roig-Franzia|first=Manuel|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/seth-rich-wasnt-just-another-dc-murder-victim-he-was-a-meme-in-the-weirdest-presidential-election-of-our-times/2017/01/18/ee8e27f8-dcc0-11e6-918c-99ede3c8cafa_story.html|title=Seth Rich wasn't just another D.C. murder victim. He was a meme in the weirdest presidential election of our times|work=The Washington Post|date=January 18, 2017}}</ref> Republican lobbyist ] has stated that he is offering an additional $105,000 reward, also unverified.<ref name="OWH_vow"/><ref name=WJLA>, ], December 5, 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Roig-Franzia|first=Manuel|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/seth-rich-wasnt-just-another-dc-murder-victim-he-was-a-meme-in-the-weirdest-presidential-election-of-our-times/2017/01/18/ee8e27f8-dcc0-11e6-918c-99ede3c8cafa_story.html|title=Seth Rich wasn't just another D.C. murder victim. He was a meme in the weirdest presidential election of our times|work=The Washington Post|date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>


=== Fox News controversy === === Fox News controversy ===

Revision as of 03:45, 17 May 2017

Seth Conrad Rich (January 3, 1989 – July 10, 2016) was fatally shot in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He was a 27-year-old employee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Early life and career

Rich grew up in Omaha, Nebraska in a Jewish family. In 2011 he graduated from Creighton University where he majored in history and political science.

At the time of his death, Rich was the Voter Expansion Data Director at the DNC, where he had been employed for two years and had worked on a computer application to help voters locate polling stations.

Death and aftermath

Rich was shot about a block from his home in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Police were alerted to gunfire at 4:20 am by an automated gunfire locator called ShotSpotter. Rich was found conscious but later died in the hospital. Newsweek reported that police said he may have been killed in an attempted robbery and that the neighborhood had recently been plagued by robberies. Although Rich's watch strap was torn, nothing had apparently been taken from him.

According to police, he died from two shots to the back. Rich's girlfriend told NBC Washington, "There had been a struggle. His hands were bruised, his knees are bruised, his face is bruised, and yet he had two shots to his back, and yet they never took anything...They didn't finish robbing him, they just took his life." The Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) posted its customary reward of $25,000 for information about the death.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement mourning the loss and praising Rich's work "to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans — the right to vote." Hillary Clinton spoke of this fatality during a speech advocating limiting the availability of guns. Rich's parents and girlfriend appeared on Crime Watch Daily to speak about the murder case. In October 2016, a plaque and bike rack outside the DNC headquarters were dedicated to Rich's memory.

In February 2017, the Beth El Synagogue in Omaha named an existing scholarship after Rich, one which helps Jewish children attend summer camps. On March 19, 2017, Rich's brother Aaron started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the murder investigation.

Conspiracy theories

Newsweek reported that the murder stoked right-wing "Clinton conspiracy theories" and that Rich's parents were distressed by the politicization of his murder. The killing of Rich has given rise to conspiracy theories in rightwing circles that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party had Seth Rich killed allegedly because he was the source of the DNC leaks. In August, WikiLeaks offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction; Rich's family stated they were unable to verify this reward offer. An anonymous federal investigator has said that he saw an FBI forensic report of Rich's computer, written less than 96 hours after Rich's murder, indicating that Rich had contacted Wikileaks via Gavin MacFadyen, an American living in London who is now deceased.

Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman has stated that he is offering an additional $105,000 reward, also unverified.

Fox News controversy

On May 15, 2017, Fox 5 DC published stories about what it said were a private investigator's uncorroborated claims about the murder of Seth Rich. The next day, while other news organizations were extensively covering Donald Trump' revelation of classified information to Russia, Fox News published a lead story on its website and provided extensive coverage on its cable news channel about what it said were a private investigator's uncorroborated claims about the murder of Seth Rich. According to Fox, the private investigator asserted that he had uncovered evidence that Rich was in contact with Wikileaks and that law enforcement were covering it up. The claims of the investigator were never independently verified by Fox News. In reporting the investigator's claims, the Fox News report re-ignited right-wing conspiracy theories about the killing.

Other news organizations revealed that the investigator was a Donald Trump supporter and had according to NBC News "developed a reputation for making outlandish claims, such as one appearance on Fox News in 2007 in which he warned that underground networks of pink pistol-toting lesbian gangs were raping young women." The family of Seth Rich, the Washington D.C. police department, the Washington D.C. mayor's office, the FBI, and law enforcement sources familiar with the case, rebuked the investigator's claims. The family said, "We are a family who is committed to facts, not fake evidence that surfaces every few months to fill the void and distract law enforcement and the general public from finding Seth’s murderers." The spokesperson for the family criticized Fox News for its reporting, alleging that the outlet was motivated by a desire to deflect attention from the Trump-Russia story: "I think there’s a very special place in hell for people that would use the memory of a murder victim in order to pursue a political agenda."

Over the course of the day, Fox News altered the contents of the story and the headline. When CNN contacted the private investigator later that day, the investigator said that he had no evidence that Rich had contacted Wikileaks. The investigator claimed that he only learned about the possible existence of the evidence from a Fox News reporter. Fox News did not respond to inquiries by CNN, the Washington Post, and Huffington Post.

See also

References

  1. ^ Morton, Joseph. "D.C. police, family of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich urge anyone with information about murder to come forward", Omaha World-Herald (August 4, 2016; Updated August 10, 2016).
  2. ^ Morton, Joseph. "WikiLeaks offers $20,000 reward for help finding Omaha native Seth Rich's killer", Omaha World-Herald (August 10, 2016; Updated August 11, 2016): "Rich had worked for the DNC for two years and helped develop a computer program to make it easier for people to find polling places on Election Day."
  3. Kamp-Wright, Annette van de (July 20, 2016). "Seth Conrad Rich". The Jewish Press. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  4. Feldman, Ari (July 11, 2016). "Promising Jewish Democratic National Committee Staffer Shot Dead on Own Washington D.C. Block". Forward.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "Rich, Seth C." Omaha World-Herald. July 13, 2016.
  6. ^ Hermann, Peter (July 12, 2016). "Hillary Clinton invokes name of slain DNC aide Seth Rich in calling for gun control". Washington Post.
  7. DNC Employee Fatally Shot in DC., WUSA9.com, August 11, 2016; retrieved September 2, 2016.
  8. Rojas, Warren (July 11, 2016). "DNC Staffer Killed in DC". Roll Call.
  9. ^ Stein, Jeff (August 20, 2016). "Seth Rich: Inside the Killing of the DNC Staffer". Newsweek.
  10. ^ Khan, Mariam. DNC Employee Shot Dead in DC Over the Weekend, ABC News, July 11, 2016.
  11. ^ (August 5, 2016). Mother, Police Seeking Tips on Killing of DNC Staffer Seth Rich, nbcwashington.com; retrieved August 22, 2016.
  12. ^ Shrier, Adam. "Democratic National Committee staffer killed in Washington, D.C. shooting", New York Daily News, July 11, 2016.
  13. ^ Hermann, Peter; Williams, Clarence (July 11, 2016). "Slain Democratic National Committee staffer 'wanted to make a difference'". Washington Post.
  14. "Is Julian Assange Exposing Innocent People to Persecution With Reckless Leaks?". The Nation. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  15. Collins, Pat; Swalec, Andrea (July 11, 2016). "27-Year-Old DNC Staffer Seth Rich Shot, Killed in Northwest DC". NBC Washington.
  16. "Family of murdered DNC employee Seth Rich speaks out on 'Crime Watch'". KOMO. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  17. Kurzius, Rachel (October 3, 2016). "Murdered DNC Staffer's Mom: 'Seth Would Be So Offended' By Conspiracy Theories". DCist. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  18. Burdine, Nikki (October 17, 2016). "DNC honors murdered staffer Seth Rich". WUSA. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  19. Kelly, Michael (February 25, 2017). "Kelly: Camp scholarship memorializes Omahan Seth Rich, who was killed in D.C. in July". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  20. "Family Seeks Funds for Answers, Leads in Seth Rich Death". NBC Washington. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  21. ^ "DNC staffer's murder draws fresh conspiracy theories". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  22. "WikiLeaks offers reward for help finding DNC staffer's killer", Washington Post, August 10, 2016.
  23. ^ Morton, Joseph (November 23, 2016). "Parents of DNC staffer Seth Rich vow to find his killer; reward now $125,000". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  24. Mills, Curt. "Seth Rich, Slain DNC Staffer, Was Talking With WikiLeaks, Reports Say", U.S. News and World Report (May 16, 2017).
  25. Zimmerman, Malia. "Family of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich blasts detective over report of WikiLeaks link", Fox News (May 16, 2017).
  26. "GOP lobbyist adds $5K to reward for info on murder of former DNC staffer Seth Rich", WJLA-TV, December 5, 2016.
  27. Roig-Franzia, Manuel (January 18, 2017). "Seth Rich wasn't just another D.C. murder victim. He was a meme in the weirdest presidential election of our times". The Washington Post.
  28. Savransky, Rebecca (May 16, 2017). "Slain DNC staffer's family quashes report he had contact with WikiLeaks". The Hill. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  29. ^ Waldron, Travis (2017-05-16). "Fox Pushes WikiLeaks Murder Conspiracy From Man Who Warned Of Armed Lesbian Pedophiles". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  30. ^ "FACT CHECK: Did DNC Staffer Seth Rich Send 'Thousands of E-Mails' to WikiLeaks Before He Was Murdered?". Snopes.com. 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  31. ^ "Family of slain Seth Rich says reports that he fed DNC info to WikiLeaks are untrue". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  32. ^ Darcy, Oliver (2017-05-16). "Story on DNC staffer's murder dominated conservative media -- hours later it fell apart". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2017-05-17.

Further reading

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