One Year After the Unsolved Murder of DNC Staffer Seth Rich: What Do We Know?

There are more questions than ever.

By Rachel Alexander Published on July 9, 2017

The mysterious murder of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich a year ago, on July 10, 2016, remains unsolved. Many doubt the police are as “clueless” as they appear and there is more going on than the police claim.

D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) maintains it was likely a robbery gone bad. They say they have no leads. They have released no new information on the case since last fall. Over $500,000 in reward money has been offered for information. Those rewards remain unclaimed.

As time goes by, the “botched robbery” theory grows weaker. And the argument this was no run-of-the-mill street crime grows louder.

Who Was Seth Rich?

Who was Seth Rich? Rich, 27, was the DNC’s Voter Expansion Data Director. A rising player in the party who had just been offered a job with the Hillary Clinton campaign. His duties included development of a computer application to help voters locate polling stations. He had access to DNC emails and a year earlier had publicly β€” and nervously β€” expressed concerns about voting in the primary.

It is argued that Rich leaked emails from the DNC to Wikileaks, which then published them. The emails revealed collusion between the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign to ensure that Clinton won the Democratic nomination over Bernie Sanders.

Consequently, some believe Rich was murdered over the leaked emails. They suspect the DNC and/or Hillary Clinton may be involved. At the very least, Democrats at both the national and local level seem hell-bent on silencing anyone raising questions.

Did Seth Rich Leak the DNC Emails to Wikileaks?

Some believe Rich was murdered due to the leaked emails.

Julian Assange, founder and owner of Wikileaks, all but said Rich leaked the DNC emails to his group. Assange said the leaker was a disgruntled DNC insider. (He insists it was not the Russians.) He spoke of the danger his sources face, then brought up the murder of Seth Rich. Assange then offered a reward for information leading to Rich’s killers. Assange has never been proven wrong in anything he’s said over the past 12 years.

His friend Kim Dotcom, the famous internet entrepreneur and founder of Megaupload, said in May he knows for sure Rich is the leaker. Dotcom says Rich spoke to him about some voting concerns in the two years prior to his death. Dotcom then claims he helped facilitate the WikiLeaks transfer. As evidence, he cites an interview he did with Bloomberg in 2015, where he said Assange would be Clinton’s worst nightmare in 2016.

Fox News reported (in an article the network retracted) that an anonymous source within the FBI said Rich had over 44,000 emails on his laptop that he sent to Wikileaks. The article was pulled due to the way it quoted the family’s then-investigator, Rod Wheeler.

However, Wheeler maintains his belief that the information is accurate. He also holds that anonymous source within the MPD told him they’ve been instructed by higher ups to stand down on the investigation. He said they’ve also been told not to talk to him.

Authorities could have ruled Rich out as a source for the leaks by inspecting DNC computers once there were claims they’d been hacked. However, the DNC refused to let the FBI or Department of Homeland Security examine their computers. President Trump raised the issue himself while at the G-20 summit, tweeting about former Clinton campaign manager John Podesta.

Was Seth Rich’s Murder a Random Street Crime? The Profiling Project Investigates

“The resolution of prosecuting the individual(s) responsible appears to be hindered both actively and passively.

At 4:19 a.m., Seth Rich was shot twice in the back and left for dead on a street near his home in D.C.’s Bloomingdale neighborhood. He was able to speak to police. However, there is no indication he identified or described any assailants. His wallet, watch and other valuables were not taken.

The Profiling Project, an independent, nonpartisan group made up of forensic experts and George Washington University graduate students, is looking into Rich’s death. The team is using the NYPD’s process for investigating murders. The group issued a preliminary report last month. It concluded that the murder does not appear to be a random homicide or robbery gone bad. Instead, they argue that a hired killer or serial murderer (someone with experience killing) most likely did the murder.

The report appears to accuse MPD of impeding its search for truth. It says, “The resolution of prosecuting the individual(s) responsible appears to be hindered both actively and passively.” This calls into question the leadership of D.C. police. Most of the leadership are Democrats appointed by the mayor.

Meanwhile, local ABC7 investigative reporter Scott Taylor has also found himself stonewalled in his efforts to gain information from the police. He has been denied surveillance video, autopsy reports, ballistic reports, footage from police body cameras, and more. MPD claims this is standard procedure in “open” investigations, while repeatedly posting video connected to other unsolved crimes. Even Taylor’s efforts to interview the lead detective in the case have been thwarted.

Was Rich’s Murder the Only Strange Death Connected to DNC and Election? The Lawsuit Against DNC by Bernie Sanders Supporters

Supporters of Bernie Sanders filed a lawsuit against the DNC over the collusion. Their attorneys say they have received death threats. They’ve also noted the suspicious deaths of people related to the case.

The attorneys filed for a protective order last month, citing the mysterious deaths of their process server and a federal prosecutor. Shawn Lucas, the process server, was to be a witness in the trial, in order to refute the DNC’s claim that the lawsuit wasn’t properly served. Before he could testify Lucas died of what was ruled an “accidental” overdose from three powerful painkillers.

Federal prosecutor Beranton Whisenant, Jr., was allegedly investigating Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was head of the DNC at the time of the leaks and Rich’s murder. He washed up on a beach in her district.

Attorneys in the Sanders suit make no secret of the fact they believe there is a possibility Rich was murdered for leaking the DNC emails. It is a rare occurrence of the right agreeing with the left.

Visceral Reaction by the Left to Stop Any Investigating

Adding to the mystery is the intense effort by the left to squelch people from looking into Rich’s death. The left-wing group Media Matters launched an assault against Sean Hannity after he started discussing Rich’s death in May. The effort convinced several advertisers to stop running ads on his show. Hannity stopped discussing the murder out of respect to Rich’s family, but said he would keep looking into it.

It should be noted both Hillary Clinton and John Podesta were actively involved in the launching of Media Matters.

Rich’s family is represented by Brad Bauman, who handles crisis communications for Democrats. He says the family no longer appreciates help looking into the unsolved murder. Because the DNC leaked emails may have a connection to Rich’s death, many ask why a Democratic fixer was appointed to represent the family.

Many questions remain unanswered. Rich may well be the victim of a random shooting in the early hours of July 10, 2016. But why not let free speech reign? Why shut down legitimate inquiries, since the police seem to have no leads?

A group of Sanders supporters is organizing a candlelight vigil in Seth Rich’s honor tonight in 12 cities nationwide.

 

Follow Rachel on Twitter at Rach_IC

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