There is evidence Seth Rich had contact with WikiLeaks prior to death

SheriffJoe · May 15, 2017

There is evidence Seth Rich had contact with WikiLeaks prior to death

By: Marina Marraco

POSTED:MAY 15 2017 10:41PM EDT
UPDATED:MAY 15 2017 10:55PM EDT

WASHINGTON - It has been almost a year since Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was murdered in the nation's capital. There have been no solid answers about why he was killed until now.

Rich was shot and killed last July in Northwest D.C and police have suggested the killing in the District's Bloomingdale neighborhood was a botched robbery. However, online conspiracy theories have tied the murder to Rich's work at the DNC.

Just two months shy of the one-year anniversary of Rich's death, FOX 5 has learned there is new information that could prove these theorists right.

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Family's private investigator: There is evidence Seth Rich had contact with WikiLeaks prior to death

Rod Wheeler, a private investigator hired by the Rich family, suggests there is tangible evidence on Rich's laptop that confirms he was communicating with WikiLeaks prior to his death.

Now, questions have been raised on why D.C. police, the lead agency on this murder investigation for the past ten months, have insisted this was a robbery gone bad when there appears to be no evidence to suggest that.

Wheeler, a former D.C. police homicide detective, is running a parallel investigation into Rich’s murder. Wheeler said he believes there is a cover-up and the police department has been told to back down from the investigation.

"The police department nor the FBI have been forthcoming,” said Wheeler. “They haven't been cooperating at all. I believe that the answer to solving his death lies on that computer, which I believe is either at the police department or either at the FBI. I have been told both.”

When we asked Wheeler if his sources have told him there is information that links Rich to Wikileaks, he said, “Absolutely. Yeah. That's confirmed."

Wheeler also told us, "I have a source inside the police department that has looked at me straight in the eye and said, ‘Rod, we were told to stand down on this case and I can’t share any information with you.’ Now, that is highly unusual for a murder investigation, especially from a police department. Again, I don’t think it comes from the chief’s office, but I do believe there is a correlation between the mayor's office and the DNC and that is the information that will come out [Tuesday].

texansfan · May 15, 2017

Clinton's kill another one?

Willie99 · May 16, 2017

C'mon man, it's all about Russia!!!!!!

That's it, that's all, there be no alternative

Russia Russia Russia

flashmo · May 16, 2017

Let me guess...not a peep from the MSM

Willie99 · May 16, 2017

if this story has legs, and it would if this were Trump, how big a POS would Hillary and/or the DNC be?

they know the source, they kill the source, and then they blame the Russians and accuse Trump of colluding with them!!!!!!!

you know what's sad, it's totally plausible they behave is such a manner, they and the system are that corrupt

Willie99 · May 16, 2017

on a side bar, if this story was about Trump and the Intel release story was about Clinton, every democratic media outlet would be focused on this story for the entire week

superbeets · May 16, 2017

Kill all leakers.

Leakers are better dead.

cheersgif

919 · May 16, 2017

Speaking of fake news

•Investigator works for Fox.
•Was paid by Third party.
•Pretended to speak for family yesterday.
•Family statement is refuting Fox report.

Seth Rich "Investigator" never hired by family, works for @FoxNews.Fox pushing story.Story produced in time to shift bad Trump news cycle?

FoxNews has turned into InfoWars, they just have more $ and can do more to cook up story and make it look & sound legit.

texansfan · May 16, 2017

Poor 919, even his supposed fake news is fake news. This guy gets duped on a daily basis.

[FONT=&quot]Although Bauman said Wheeler was paid by a third party, the family is named as clients of Wheeler's Capitol Investigations on a contract signed by Rich's father, Joel Rich.[/FONT]

919 · May 16, 2017

You were saying?

Fresh reporting from NBC's Pete Williams: Seth Rich's laptop did not have emails to WikiLeaks. And FBI never had it.

[h=1]DNC Staffer's Murder Draws Fresh Conspiracy Theories[/h]BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD

A spokesman for the family of a young Democratic National Committee staffer who was murdered last year said Tuesday that a conservative businessman had paid for a private investigation into the unsolved slaying that has ignited right-wing conspiracy theories. The businessman denies any involvement.

The Dallas-based financial adviser, Ed Butowsky, a Fox News regular who has written articles for Breitbart News, contacted the parents of Seth Rich and urged them to hire a private investigator to look into the death of their 27-year-old son, who was shot and killed last July in what police say was a robbery gone wrong. Butowsky offered to cover the fees and connect them with an investigator, according to Brad Bauman, a spokesman for the family.

170516-seth-rich-facebook-grab-ew-1253p_e83e8017784b5259c4c0f3ceafdfbe3c.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg

via FacebookThe Rich family hired the detective who had been recommended, Rod Wheeler, a former D.C. homicide detective who is also a Fox News contributor and who last month tweeted a photo of himself at the White House captioned, "Doing my part to Make America Great Again!!"

Wheeler said on Monday there was evidence to support the conspiracy theories, including that Rich had been in contact with WikiLeaks before his death — prompting a quick rebuke from both the police and Rich's family.

"We are a family who is committed to facts, not fake evidence," the family said in a statement earlier Tuesday. "The services of the private investigator who spoke to press was offered to the Rich family and paid for by a third party, and contractually was barred from speaking to press or anyone outside of law enforcement or the family unless explicitly authorized by the family."

Rich's family, which has previously sought help from the public in uncovering information about their son's death, had been seeking help in solving their son's murder.

"We know of no evidence that supports these allegations. We are continuing to cooperate with investigators and have no further comment," DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.

Bauman told NBC News that he decided to reveal Butowsky's role as the "third party" referred to in the family's statement after being told that the businessman was denying any involvement. "He's the one who paid for it," Bauman said.

Meanwhile, a current FBI official and a former one completely discount the Fox News claim that an FBI analysis of a computer belonging to Rich contained thousands of e-mails to and from WikiLeaks.

Local police in Washington, D.C., never even gave the FBI Rich's laptop to analyze after his murder, according to the current FBI official.

And a former law enforcement official with first-hand knowledge of Rich's laptop said the claim was incorrect. "It never contained any e-mails related to WikiLeaks, and the FBI never had it," the person said.

And Wheeler has 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.

Rich, a data analyst for the DNC at the time of his murder, was shot and killed last July while walking home early one Sunday morning in his Washington, D.C., neighborhood.

Police say it was a robbery gone wrong, but the death quickly became a fascination of conspiracy theorists, who alleged he was the source of DNC emails published on Wikileaks, even though U.S. intelligence agencies say they actually came from a Russian hacking operation.

Wikileaks Founder Jullian Assange has offered a $20,000 reward for information about Rich's death.

Wheeler, who did not respond to request for comment from NBC News, revived Rich's murder by making explosive claims to a local Fox affiliate that Rich was in contact with Wikileaks before his death and that the local police and FBI were covering that up.

The police and Rich's family quickly condemned the report, but it still launched to the top of conservative news outlets like Fox News, among others.

Butowsky denied that he played a role in the Rich case in an interview with NBC News. "I'm not involved with any of what you said," Butowsky said when reached on his cell phone Tuesday.

When asked if he has had any contact with Rich's family, Butowsky declined to answer. "This can't possibly go well," he said, before referring questions to Wheeler. "I didn't pay anybody. I didn't hire anybody."

Butowsky, who attended President Donald Trump's inauguration, has highlighted the Rich story on social media.

Updated with reporting from Pete Williams.

919 · May 16, 2017

Pizzagate part 2

Albatross · May 16, 2017

Deep state

919 · May 16, 2017

[h=1]Story on DNC staffer's murder dominated conservative media -- hours later it fell apart[/h]
By Oliver Darcy

Updated 9:17 PM EDT, Tue May 16, 2017

(CNNMoney)It took only hours for one of the biggest stories in conservative media this week, which some outlets had chosen to focus on over news that President Trump disclosed classified information to senior Russian officials, to fall apart.

On Monday night, Rod Wheeler, a private investigator and Fox News contributor, put things in motion during an interview with WTTG-TV, a Fox affiliate in Washington.

Wheeler, who was under contract with the family of Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer who was fatally shot in July, told WTTG-TV evidence existed that proved Rich had been in contact with Wikileaks before his death.

For months, right-wing media outlets have floated unproven theories that Rich was the person who provided Wikileaks thousands of internal DNC emails, and that his death might have been connected with the supposed leak. No real evidence has been provided to support such claims and Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, which continues to investigate the murder, says there is evidence to suggest he may have been the victim of a botched robbery.

Nevertheless, a handful of right-wing media outlets have latched on to the theory -- and Wheeler's remarks on Monday allowed the narrative to once again ricochet throughout the conservative media universe.

"NOT RUSSIA, BUT AN INSIDE JOB?" asked Breitbart, the far-right website previously led by White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, which said that "if proven, the report has the potential to be one of the biggest cover-ups in American political history, dispelling the widespread claim that the Russians were behind hacks on the DNC."

"DEAD DNC STAFFER 'HAD CONTACT' WITH WIKILEAKS," declared the headline of the Drudge Report, the highly-trafficked conservative news destination.

Fox News on Tuesday morning joined in the chorus, publishing a lead story on its website about the "DC MURDER MYSTERY." The story said Wheeler had made the claim Wikileaks had been in contact with Rich. It added that a federal investigator, who it said had spoken on the condition of anonymity, corroborated it.

But Tuesday afternoon, Wheeler told CNN he had no evidence to suggest Rich had contacted Wikileaks before his death.

Wheeler instead said he only learned about the possible existence of such evidence through the reporter he spoke to for the FoxNews.com story. He explained that the comments he made to WTTG-TV were intended to simply preview Fox News' Tuesday story. The WTTG-TV news director did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

"I only got that [information] from the reporter at Fox News," Wheeler told CNN.

Asked about a quote attributed to him in the Fox News story in which he said his "investigation up to this point shows there was some degree of email exchange between Seth Rich and Wikileaks," Wheeler said he was referring to information that had already been reported in the media.

A Fox News spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Earlier Tuesday, Brad Bauman, a spokesman for the Rich family, released a statement in which he said the family had "seen no evidence" to suggest Seth Rich had been in contact with Wikileaks.

Bauman told CNN the outlets that had run with the story "have shown over and over again that they are willing to lie and manipulate the facts" to further "their own political end."

"I think it's important for everyone at Fox News to be careful with this information and how this story breaks because using the legacy of a murder victim in such an overtly political way is morally reprehensible," he said.

Bauman also said the Rich family was reviewing possible legal action against Wheeler for speaking about the case publicly. A contract between Wheeler and the Rich family prohibited from speaking to the media about his ongoing investigation, Bauman said.

"It is possible that this private investigator is in breach of a non disclosure contract," Bauman told CNN, adding that the private investigator's public comments have "seriously impeded the ability of the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate."

Asked whether he was in breach of a contract, Wheeler said, "I don't know, it's hard to say."

"I think that's something I will have to work out with [the family]," he added.

Wheeler was put in touch with the Rich family through Dallas businessman Ed Butowsky, who told CNN he had offered to pay any bills associated with the investigation.

"You have a family who can't afford a PI. Their son was killed. So I offered to help out," Butowsky said.

Butowsky, a financial adviser, has provided commentary to Fox News on a number of occasions. He has also written columns for Breitbart, and was critical of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

Speaking with NBC News, Butowsky had denied his involvement with Wheeler and the Rich family. Asked why, he told CNN, "I didn't want to talk to NBC."

Butowsky also said that, thus far, he hasn't "paid any money to anybody." He said Wheeler was investigating the Rich murder at no cost.

SgtLanquel · May 16, 2017

superbeets said:
Kill all leakers.

Leakers are better dead.

cheersgif

wow....twice now you have advocated asassinating the POTUS

SheriffJoe · May 16, 2017

919 · May 16, 2017

Sheriff Joe said:

[h=1]Spokesman for The Rich family: "There is a special place in hell" for spreading conspiracies about Seth. @SeanHannity is leading with it [/h]

Albatross · May 17, 2017

919 said:
[h=1]Spokesman for The Rich family: "There is a special place in hell" for spreading conspiracies about Seth. @SeanHannity is leading with it [/h]

The family spokesman is a liberal hack. Google him.

SheriffJoe · May 22, 2017

CRIME

The Seth Rich Murder: Death By DNC

By
Bradley Brewer
on
May 22, 2017
0 COMMENTS

It has been nearly a year since the murder of Seth Rich, former DNC staffer. Despite it being national news, there has been very little headway in the “official” investigation. However, that does not mean that the case is cold. Thousands of individuals have worked tirelessly to find the truth despite the efforts of the DNC and the “bought and paid for” media. It’s time for the truth to come out. Seth deserves justice.

WHO WAS SETH RICH?

Seth Rich was a DNC staffer working in Washington, D.C. He worked as the Voter Expansion Director and was responsible for a computer application which aided voters in finding their polling stations. Rich was an avid supporter of Bernie Sanders and was very active in the campaign to elect Sanders for President. It was widely known his disdain for Hillary Clinton and he was reported to be associated with the “Never Hillary” movement.
WHAT HAPPENED ON JULY 10, 2016?

Per the “official” report, Seth Rich was murdered at 4:18 a.m. in the upscale neighborhood of Bloomingdale where he lived. Earlier that evening, Rich had been seen at Lou’s City Bar. He is reported to have left there around 1:15 a.m. The details surrounding the missing three hours leading up to his murder are a bit blurry. All that we know is that Seth called several people on his walk home. He was on the phone with his girlfriend, Kelsey Mulka, moments before he was attacked near his D.C. home.
The official report states that this was a failed robbery attempt despite the lack of missing items from Rich’s body. Seth was shot twice in the back but was found conscious and responsive. Six officers are reported to have arrived on scene in under ten minutes. He passed away at the hospital only a few blocks away almost two hours later.
GLARING ISSUES FROM THE CRIME SCENE

A ROBBERY THAT WASN’T

There are several glaring issues with the official story of Seth Rich’s murder. For starters, why was this murder labeled a “robbery gone wrong”? A robbery requires stolen items, yet there were no items missing from the body of Rich. The description of the scene and the deceased point, rather, to a calculated hit. Rich’s face and hands both had signs of bruising suggesting, at the very least, a struggle.

Additionally, why was Seth shot in the back? If a scrum ensued and then Rich was shot in the back, that would suggest that the assailants gained control of the situation and chose to shoot Rich anyway. Why not take the over $2000 worth of personal items on Rich at the time? It makes no sense that two thieves would fight Rich, gain control of the situation, and shoot the victim without stealing anything from the body. What would be the point of a robbery in that case?

There is evidence Seth Rich had contact with WikiLeaks prior to death

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