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Murder of Seth Rich

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Murder of Seth Rich
Bloomingdale in the District of Columbia
DateJuly 10, 2016 (2016-07-10)
Time4:20 a.m. EST
LocationBloomingdale (Washington, D.C.)
CauseShooting
ParticipantsUnknown
DeathsSeth Rich
InquiriesMetropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Awards$270,000

Seth Conrad Rich (January 3, 1989 – July 10, 2016) was a 27-year-old employee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who was fatally shot in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[1][2][3]

The crime was used as the pretext for right-wing conspiracy theories, which have been debunked by law enforcement agencies in their official statements about the case.[4] These theories falsely stated that there is credible evidence Rich was the source of the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak.[5][6][7] According to U.S. intelligence assessments, Russian intelligence services are most likely responsible for the hacking and the leak.[8] Fox News retracted part of its reporting on the conspiracy theory, acknowledging that it had not met the outlet's standards for news coverage.[9]

Rich's parents have condemned the conspiracy theories and have urged members of the press to stop posting about the incident. They accused conspiracy theorists of politicizing their son's death for political gain, and called posters of the debunked conspiracy theories "sociopaths" and "disgusting".[10][11] In a statement released by the family, they said the people who promote the conspiracy theories "are either blind to the damage they are doing to a murder victim's family or don't care, showing a profound lack of judgment and common decency."[11] Seth Rich's parents asked for a retraction and an apology from Fox News which spread the conspiracy theory. They also sent a "cease and desist" letter to Rod Wheeler, the investigator whom Fox News cited as a source, demanding that he stop making comments about Seth.[12]

Members of the alt-right and certain commentators on Fox News, which has given air time to the conspiracy theories, have been accused of having done so in order to distract public attention from negative news about the Trump administration.[13][14][15]

Early life and career

Rich grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, in a Jewish family.[16][17][18][1][19] 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.[20][21][2][18] He didn't own an automobile and commuted to work by walking or riding a bicycle. In his spare time, he volunteered at the Humane Society.[17]

Death and aftermath

On Sunday, July 10, 2016, Rich was shot about a block from his apartment in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[12][22][23][24][25][26] He had been at Lou's City Bar, a sports pub in the Columbia Heights neighborhood about 1.8 miles from his apartment, where he was a regular customer, and had left about 1:30 or 1:45 a.m. when the bar was closing.[27][26]

Police were alerted to gunfire at 4:20 am by an automated gunfire locator called ShotSpotter.[25][17] Rich was found conscious but later died in the hospital.[23] According to police, he died from two shots to the back.[22][24][28] 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.[22] Rich's girlfriend told NBC's Washington affiliate WRC-TV, "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."[29] The Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) posted its customary reward of $25,000 for information about the death.[2]

On the day after the shooting, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement mourning his loss and praising Rich's work to support voter rights.[17][30] Two days after the shooting, Hillary Clinton spoke of his death during a speech advocating limiting the availability of guns.[2][19]

In September, Rich's parents and girlfriend appeared on the syndicated television show Crime Watch Daily to speak about the murder case.[31][32] The police told the family they had found a surveillance videotape showing a glimpse of the legs of two people who could possibly be the killers, but have not released the tape.[27] In October 2016, a plaque and bike rack outside the DNC headquarters were dedicated to Rich's memory.[30]

In February 2017, the Beth El Synagogue in Omaha named an existing scholarship after Rich, one which helps Jewish children attend summer camps.[33] On March 19, 2017, Rich's brother Aaron started a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise $200,000 for private investigation, public outreach activities, and a reward fund.[34]

Conspiracy theories

The murder stoked right-wing "Clinton conspiracy theories" and defamatory narratives against the victim.[7][4]

On August 9, 2016, a WikiLeaks account on Twitter said WikiLeaks was offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction,[35][2][5] although Rich's family said they were unable to verify this reward offer.[36] When making the offer for the reward, WikiLeaks said their offer should not be taken as implying that Rich had been involved in leaking information to them.[2] Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham also said the police had no information suggesting a connection between Rich's death and data obtained by WikLeaks.[2] However, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, seemed to imply a connection when, unbidden, he talked about the case on a Dutch news program.[27] People who worked with Rich discounted the idea that he could be some sort of expert computer hacker helping to leak information to foreigners. Andrew Therriault, a data scientist who had mentored Rich, said that although he had recently been working as a programmer, that "wasn't his background", and another co-worker said Rich was very upset when he heard that hackers associated with Russian intelligence services had broken into the DNC computers and could be interfering with the election.[27]

In November, Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman stated he was personally offering a $100,000 reward in addition to those announced by the police department and WikiLeaks, and he added another $5,000 to his offer in December and another $25,000 in January.[36][37][27] Burkman's offers raised the total offered reward to $175,000 (if the WikiLeaks offer is included), which is the highest amount ever offered for solving a murder in Washington, D.C.[37][27]

Rich's parents repeatedly stated their distress at the politicization of his murder and the conspiracy theories promoted in right-wing circles.[22][38]

Fox News controversy

On May 15, 2017, Fox 5 DC reported the uncorroborated and later largely retracted[39] claims by Rod Wheeler, a Fox News contributor and former homicide detective, that there was evidence Seth Rich had contacted WikiLeaks and that law enforcement were covering this up;[40][39] claims which were never independently verified by Fox.[41] The next day, Fox News published a lead story on its website and provided extensive coverage on its cable news channel about what it said were Wheeler's uncorroborated claims about the murder of Seth Rich.[41][42][39][43][44][15][45] In reporting these claims, the Fox News report re-ignited conspiracy theories about the killing.[38][41][39][7][46][47] According to NPR, within a day of the original Fox report, "Google searches for Rich had overtaken searches for James Comey, even amid continuous news about the former FBI director's conversations with Trump."[48] The Washington Post noted that Fox News chose to lead with this story at a time when most other media outlets were covering allegations that president Trump leaked intelligence to Russian officials.[49]

Other news organizations revealed that Wheeler was a Donald Trump supporter, a paid Fox News contributor, and according to NBC News had "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".[38][50][7][46] The Washington Post noted that it is "rare for a news organization to have such a close relationship with the people it is covering", as Wheeler was "playing three roles at once: as a Fox source, as a paid contributor to the network and as a supposedly independent investigator of the murder".[46] When Wheeler appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News shows, these multiple roles were not disclosed to viewers.[46] On May 17, 2017, The New York Times reported that Seth Rich's family had hired Wheeler to investigate Rich's death, but after Wheeler's Fox News interview on May 15, 2017, Brad Bauman, a communications professional and pro bono spokesman for the Rich family, said that the family was asking that Fox News and the Fox affiliate retract their reports and apologize for damaging their son's legacy, and that they regretted working with Wheeler. Bauman also said that the family had engaged the services of Wheeler on the recommendation of Ed Butowsky, a Texas businessman and conservative commentator who paid for Wheeler's services.[7]

The family spokesperson, the Washington, D.C., police department, the Washington, D.C., mayor's office, the FBI, and law enforcement sources familiar with the case all disputed Wheeler's claims.[38][42] 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."[38] Bauman 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."[43] The family has called for retractions and apologies from Fox News for the inaccurate reporting.[7][51]

Over the course of the day, Fox News altered the contents of the story and the headline, but did not issue corrections.[41][7][52] When CNN contacted Wheeler later that day, he said that he had no evidence that Rich had contacted Wikileaks.[39] Wheeler claimed that Fox had presented his quotes misleadingly and that he only learned about the possible existence of the evidence from a Fox News reporter.[39][48] Despite the investigator's retraction and no evidence in favor of the theory, Sean Hannity's show and Fox & Friends continued to promote the conspiracy theory for the remainder of the week. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also took part in spreading the conspiracy.[53][54][55][47][56][57][58][59][60]

On May 19, 2017, an attorney for the Rich family sent a cease and desist letter to Wheeler.[12] Fox News issued a retraction of the story on May 23, 2017 and removed the original article.[61]

Family's reaction

The family of Seth Rich issued a statement saying "We simply want to find his killers and grieve. Instead, we are stuck having to constantly fight against non-facts, baseless allegations, and general stupidity to defend my brother's name and legacy."[7]

The family spokesperson said "At this point, only people with transparent political agendas or sociopaths are still perpetuating Seth Rich conspiracies."[55]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f g 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. Omaha. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Adams, Becket. "One last time: That Seth Rich story is garbage". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Hermann, Peter; Williams, Clarence (August 9, 2016). "WikiLeaks offers reward for help finding DNC staffer's killer". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Fox News. "Assange implies murdered DNC staffer was WikiLeaks' source". Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Bromwich, Jonah Engel (May 17, 2017). "How the Murder of a D.N.C. Staffer Fueled Conspiracy Theories". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  8. ^ "Cyber-spying: Bear on bear". The Economist. September 22, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Statement on coverage of Seth Rich murder investigation. Fox News, 23 May 2017
  10. ^ "Seth Rich Parents Refute New Claims On Wikileaks Contact". The Forward. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Stein, Perry (May 20, 2017). "Family of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich sends 'cease and desist' letter to Fox News contributor". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Seitz-Wald, Alex (May 19, 2017), "Slain DNC Staffer's Family Orders Blabbing Detective to 'Cease and Desist", NBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2017
  13. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (May 17, 2017). "Trump scandals create a hurdle for his rightwing media defenders". The Guardian. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  14. ^ Mindock, Clark (May 17, 2017). "Fox News accused of promoting conspiracy theories by family of murdered Democrat aide". The Independent. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Sommer, Allison Kaplan (May 17, 2017). "Explained: 'Alt-right' Using Cruel Seth Rich Conspiracy Theory to Deflect From Trump's Russia Scandal". Haaretz. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  16. ^ Feldman, Ari (July 11, 2016). "Promising Jewish Democratic National Committee Staffer Shot Dead on Own Washington D.C. Block". The Forward. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c d Hermann, Peter; Williams, Clarence (July 11, 2016). "Slain Democratic National Committee staffer 'wanted to make a difference'". The Washington Post.
  18. ^ a b "Rich, Seth C." Omaha World-Herald. July 13, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Hermann, Peter (July 12, 2016). "Hillary Clinton invokes name of slain DNC aide Seth Rich in calling for gun control". The Washington Post.
  20. ^ Mallory Hughes (August 11, 2016). "DNC Employee Fatally Shot in DC". WUSA. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  21. ^ Rojas, Warren (July 11, 2016). "DNC Staffer Killed in DC". Roll Call.
  22. ^ a b c d Stein, Jeff (August 20, 2016). "Seth Rich: Inside the Killing of the DNC Staffer". Newsweek.
  23. ^ a b Khan, Mariam. DNC Employee Shot Dead in DC Over the Weekend, ABC News, July 11, 2016.
  24. ^ a b (August 5, 2016). Mother, Police Seeking Tips on Killing of DNC Staffer Seth Rich, WRC-TV. retrieved August 22, 2016.
  25. ^ a b Shrier, Adam. "Democratic National Committee staffer killed in Washington, D.C. shooting", New York Daily News, July 11, 2016.
  26. ^ a b Mindock, Clark (May 16, 2017). "Who is Seth Rich – and was his death really connected to Hillary Clinton?". The Independent. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  27. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ "Is Julian Assange Exposing Innocent People to Persecution With Reckless Leaks?". The Nation. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  29. ^ Collins, Pat; Swalec, Andrea (July 11, 2016). "27-Year-Old DNC Staffer Seth Rich Shot, Killed in Northwest DC". WRC-TV.
  30. ^ a b Burdine, Nikki (October 17, 2016). "DNC honors murdered staffer Seth Rich". WUSA. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  31. ^ "Family of murdered DNC employee Seth Rich speaks out on 'Crime Watch'". KOMO. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  32. ^ Kurzius, Rachel (October 3, 2016). "Murdered DNC Staffer's Mom: 'Seth Would Be So Offended' By Conspiracy Theories". DCist. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ "Family Seeks Funds for Answers, Leads in Seth Rich Death". WRC-TV. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  35. ^ Tschida, Stephen (August 9, 2016). "WikiLeaks offering $20,000 reward for information regarding D.C. murder of DNC's Seth Rich". WJLA-TV. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  36. ^ a b 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)
  37. ^ a b "GOP lobbyist adds $5K to reward for info on murder of former DNC staffer Seth Rich", WJLA-TV, December 5, 2016.
  38. ^ a b c d e "DNC staffer's murder draws fresh conspiracy theories". NBC News. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  39. ^ a b c d e f Darcy, Oliver (May 16, 2017). "Story on DNC staffer's murder dominated conservative media – hours later it fell apart". CNNMoney. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  40. ^ Savransky, Rebecca (May 16, 2017). "Slain DNC staffer's family quashes report he had contact with WikiLeaks". The Hill. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  41. ^ a b c d Waldron, Travis (May 16, 2017). "Fox Pushes WikiLeaks Murder Conspiracy From Man Who Warned Of Armed Lesbian Pedophiles". HuffPost. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  42. ^ a b "Family of slain Seth Rich says reports that he fed DNC info to WikiLeaks are untrue". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  43. ^ a b "FACT CHECK: Did DNC Staffer Seth Rich Send 'Thousands of E-Mails' to WikiLeaks Before He Was Murdered?". Snopes.com. May 16, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  44. ^ "Analysis | Conservative media coverage of Trump's classified disclosure will make your head spin". The Washington Post. May 16, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  45. ^ Alvin Chang (May 18, 2017). "We tracked the Trump scandals on right-wing news sites. Here's how they covered it". Vox. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  46. ^ a b c d Farhi, Paul (May 17, 2017). "A conspiratorial tale of murder, with Fox News at the center". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  47. ^ a b News, A. B. C. (May 22, 2017). "FBI is not involved in Seth Rich case despite 'conspiracy theories', officials say". ABC News. Retrieved May 22, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  48. ^ a b "Unproved Claims Re-Emerge Around DNC Staffer's Death: Here's What You Should Know". NPR. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  49. ^ Borchers, Callum. "Conservative media coverage of Trump's classified disclosure will make your head spin".
  50. ^ "Meet The Private Detective Who Ignited A Clinton Conspiracy Theory". BuzzFeed. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  51. ^ Darcy, Oliver (May 17, 2017). "Family of slain DNC staffer demands retraction and apology from Fox News, local TV station". CNNMoney. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  52. ^ Waldron, Travis (May 18, 2017). "Fox Stands By DNC Murder Conspiracy Theory Even After Main Source Changes Story". HuffPost. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  53. ^ Darcy, Oliver (May 19, 2017). "Russian embassy promotes conspiracy theory on DNC staffer's death after false Fox News story". CNNMoney. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  54. ^ David Weigel (May 20, 2017). "The Seth Rich conspiracy shows how fake news still works". The Washington Post The Fix blog. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  55. ^ a b David Weigel (May 21, 2017). "Gingrich spreads conspiracy theory about slain DNC staffer". The Washington Post PowerPost blog. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  56. ^ "Gingrich Spreads Conspiracy Theory". FactCheck.org. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  57. ^ "Analysis | The Seth Rich conspiracy's biggest myths, explained". The Washington Post The Fix blog. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  58. ^ Darcy, Oliver (May 22, 2017). "Fox News staffers 'disgusted' at network's promotion of Seth Rich conspiracy theory". CNNMoney. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  59. ^ Darcy, Oliver (May 23, 2017). "Seth Rich's brother pleads with Hannity to stop spreading conspiracy theory". CNNMoney. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  60. ^ "Baseless claims that slain DNC staffer was WikiLeaks source". @politifact. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  61. ^ "Statement on coverage of Seth Rich murder investigation". Fox News. May 23, 2017.

Further reading

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