DNC staffer, Seth Rich, in his DNC profile picture. (LinkedIn/Seth Rich)
Seth Conrad Rich’s
unsolved murder on a Washington D.C. street has sparked a flurry of conspiracy theories because he was a staffer and self-described data analyst for the Democratic National Committee.
WikiLeaks is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in Rich’s death (that’s in addition to a previous $25,000 reward being offered in the case). In an Aug. 8 interview with Dutch TV, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
spoke about the Rich murder case and would not confirm or deny whether Rich was a WikiLeaks source (although, as matter of practice, WikiLeaks doesn’t comment on its sources).
Conspiracy theories are raging about Rich’s death because of his DNC employment and also the lack of an obvious motive, eyewitnesses, or suspect in the case. Rich, 27, was shot on July 10, 2016 at 4:15 in the morning near a Washington D.C. neighborhood where he lived,
said CBS News. Some are also raising questions about the August death of
Shawn Lucas, who served the DNC
with a lawsuit alleging fraud in the presidential race.
In the Rich homicide case,
The Washington Post wrote on July 11: “Police said they have no suspects, witnesses or motive, though they are looking at whether Rich could have been slain in an attempted robbery.”
Washington D.C. Metropolitan police public affairs told Heavy on Aug. 9: “At this time, there is no indication that Seth Rich’s death is connected to his employment at the DNC. However, we welcome information that could potentially lead to the identification of the individual(s) responsible for his death and are pleased when any outside contributors help us generate new leads.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. His Father Says Key Items Were Not Taken Even Though It’s Being Called a Possible Robbery
Seth Rich was murdered in July 2016. (Facebook/Seth Rich memorial page)
Rich’s father told The Washington Post that Seth’s watch, wallet and credit cards were not taken, but he thinks Rich was “killed after resisting a robbery in which the assailant got nothing.”
However, Acting Capt. Anthony Haythe of the Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide branch said in a July news conference that all motives were being considered,
said CBS. The
New York Daily News quoted police as saying, “There is no immediate indication that robbery was a motive in the attack…but it has not been ruled out as a possibility.”
The police said they are looking into whether Rich’s death was tied to other robberies in the area, and his roommate
told WUSA9 that Rich “was probably walking home from his girlfriend’s apartment when he was robbed and then shot.”
The Washington Post said there were two robberies “in the city in the hour preceding the shooting, both more than one mile away.”
2. There Was a Struggle Before Rich Was Shot Multiple Times, Including at Least Once in the Back
Seth Rich was a DNC staffer when he was murdered. (Facebook/Seth Rich Memorial Page).
Rich’s mother
told NBC Channel 4 in Washington D.C. that her son’s “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.”
The Washington D.C. Medical Examiner’s office told Heavy that Rich died from gunshot wound to the torso and the manner of death was homicide. The office did not say how many times Rich was shot and said that autopsy reports are not publicly released to the news media in D.C.
The Washington Post says at least one of Rich’s multiple gunshot wounds was in the back. The shooting occurred in northwest Washington D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood,
said WUSA9. Rich was taken to the hospital, where he died, said WUSA9.
Rich was discovered by police who were patrolling the area and was conscious and breathing at first,
said CNN. He was talking on the phone with his girlfriend when the shooting occurred and told her not to worry about it when she heard a noise,
said NBC 4. There
is a $25,000 reward being offered in the Rich murder case.
3. Hillary Clinton Mentioned Rich’s Death in a July Speech & Debbie Wasserman Schultz Praised Him
The Washington Post has posted video of that speech. “Surely, we can agree that weapons of war have no place on the streets of America,” Clinton said after mentioning Rich as an example of someone killed who doesn’t make the headlines. She said he had worked on voting rights for the DNC.
Two days before Rich died, he posted a plea on Facebook to end gun violence, saying, “I have family and friends on both sides of the law. Please, stop killing each other,”
says UK Daily Mail.
According to CBS, former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said that Rich was a “dedicated, selfless public servant who worked tirelessly to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans.”
To People Magazine, friends described Rich as self-deprecating, non apathetic, a bit of a goofball, and someone who “would stand up for anybody.”
4. Rich Worked on the DNC’s Voter Expansion Efforts & Described Himself as a Data Analyst
Seth Rich with friends. (Facebook/Seth Rich memorial page).
On his LinkedIn page, Rich described himself as “Experienced and impassioned data analyst. I have an enormous interest in public service and working towards making the world a better place.” The page says that Rich had worked as the DNC’s Voter Expansion Data Director since 2014.
Before that, he was a Research Data Associate for Greenberg Quinlan Rosner; a Boating Education Director and Staff Programming Director at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin; a research intern for Senator Ben Nelson; a member of the campaign staff for the Nebraska Democratic Party, an enumerator for the Census Bureau, a field organizer for Senate campaigns, and other jobs.
People Magazine says he worked on voter expansion efforts for the DNC and The Washington Post says that, as a DNC staffer, he worked on a project to “help voters easily find their polling places.”
Rich graduated from Creighton University with a B.A. in Political Science: Public Policy and History, said his LinkedIn page.
According to Town Hall, Rich had previously worked on the U.S. Senate campaign for Nebraska businessman Scott Kleeb. “The Clinton Global Initiative provided funds for a clean energy business started by Kleeb, which had come under investigation after losing $300,000 in 2010 and another $300,000 in 2011 despite the subsidies,” asserted Town Hall, adding that “Rich was also previously employed at a data firm that had worked with the Clintons.”
5. Conspiracy Theories Have Sprouted up Online About Rich’s Murder & Julian Assange Wouldn’t Confirm or Deny Rich Being WikiLeaks’ Source in an Interview to Dutch TV
The cover photo of the Seth Rich memorial page on Facebook. (Facebook/Seth Rich memorial page)
Various conspiracy theories have sprouted up about Rich’s death, without concrete evidence to back them up, but fueled in part by the
WikiLeaks dump of almost 20,000 DNC emails, which led to the
resignation of Wasserman Schultz.
Inquistr reported “a number of far-left and even far-right political blogs theorized that Rich — who worked on voter data — may have been a whistleblower threatening to expose election fraud carried out to help Hillary Clinton win the Democratic primary.”
On Reddit, people have theorized – again without any evidence to back it up – that Rich was the person who gave WikiLeaks the DNC emails. However, numerous news sites,
such as NBC, have reported that government officials and security firms believe that Russian intelligence was behind that leak; WikiLeaks denies being tied to Russian intelligence but won’t reveal its sources for the emails, which, among other things, appear to show DNC officials favoring Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the primary.
Reddit threads devote exhaustive discussion to dissecting the Rich murder case. Other conspiracy theories range from accusations that Rich was a DNC whistleblower to those theorizing he was about to testify or was collaborating with the FBI. Again, there is no evidence to back those theories up.
Snopes is one of the sites that has
sought to debunk evidence-less claims that Rich was about to collaborate with the FBI or was bumped off by a Clinton “hit” team.
Heat Street is another.
In the interview with Dutch television station NOS, a public broadcasting company, on Aug. 8, WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange and the news anchor discussed Rich. See the second video in
this story. Here is what they said in the videotaped interview conducted in English:
Assange: “Whistleblowers go to significant efforts to get us material, often very significant risks. There’s a 27-year-old that works for the DNC who was shot in the back, murdered, just two weeks ago, for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington. So…”
Anchor: “That was just a robbery, I believe, wasn’t it?”
Assange: “No, there’s no finding. So, ah – “
Anchor: “What are you suggesting? What are you suggesting?”
Assange: “I am suggesting that our sources, ah, take risks and they, they become concerned to see things occurring like that.”
Anchor: “But was he one of your sources then, I mean?”
Assange: “We don’t comment on who our sources are.”
Anchor: “But why make the suggestion about a young guy being shot in the streets of Washington?”
Assange: “Because we have to understand how high the stakes are in the United States. Our sources, ah, our sources face serious risks, that’s why they come to us so we can protect, ah, their anonymity.”
Anchor: “But it’s quite something to suggest a murder. That’s basically what you are doing.”
Assange: “Well, others have suggested that. We investigated to understand what happened in that situation, with Seth Rich. I think it is a concerning situation. There is not a conclusion yet. We wouldn’t be willing to say a conclusion yet, but we are concerned about it. More importantly, a variety of WikiLeaks sources are concerned when that kind of thing happens.”
As for Shawn Lucas, the other man who is the subject of conspiracy theories,
he was seen in a video serving the DNC with the lawsuit alleging that the DNC fraudulently favored Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the primary.
“The cause of death is pending at this time,” Beverly Fields, chief of staff, for the Washington D.C. Medical Examiner’s office told Heavy when asked about Lucas’ death. “The date of the death was Aug. 2.” She said the office can’t release addition information under law.
“The world lost an incredible man who made everyone around him better,” it says. “On August 2nd, 2016 Shawn Lucas was unexpectedly taken from us. He was a brother, a son, a friend, a best friend, a beautiful heart.…Trying to describe him in words is a difficult task, because he was so many things to so many people.”
Town Hall says people are also raising questions about the Aug. 1 death of Victor Thorn, who wrote four anti-Clinton books, and who “reportedly killed himself with a gun on his 54th birthday, August 1, while on top of a mountain near his Pennsylvania home.”
Jessica McBrideis a Heavy contributor. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications. She has also appeared as a crime reporter on Investigation Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Oxygen Channel. She can be reached by email at <a href="mailto:jessica.mcbride@heavy.com">jessica.mcbride@heavy.com</a>.August 10, 2016 9:36 am