Who Is Seth Rich?
Fox News Finally Apologizes For Its Classless Coverage of Seth Rich's Death
Update: Following increased criticism of its coverage, Fox News has apologized for continuing to cover Rich's story. "On May 16, a story was posted on the Fox News website on the investigation into the 2016 murder of DNC Staffer Seth Rich. The article was not initially subjected to the high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting," Fox News said in a statement posted to its site. "Upon appropriate review, the article was found not to meet those standards and has since been removed."
The private detective who was allegedly hired by Fox News, Rod Wheeler, has also recanted the original story he told Fox News 5 mid-May.
Original Story: The grieving family of Seth Rich — a former Democratic National Committee staffer who was murdered in July — is speaking out forcefully against conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims about their son's death. While the official police investigation reports that Rich, then 27, was murdered following a botched robbery, sensationalists have theorized that Rich was responsible for leaking a trove of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails to WikiLeaks. On May 15, Rich's family's hired private investigator spoke to local news network Fox 5 and revealed his findings — notably against their wishes.
Rich's murder probe has largely been inconclusive: no one witnessed the slaying and his wallet was retrieved from the scene. The private detective, former DC Police homicide Detective Rod Wheeler, told Fox News 5 he believed local police were covering up Rich's death at the request of the mayor's office and the DNC because Rich was indeed the source of the leaks. Wheeler also said that Rich's laptop, which is being held by authorities, would prove he had contact with WikiLeaks.
"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," Wheeler said. "I have been told both."
Wheeler offered an unsubstantiated "confirmation" from a "source" that Rich's laptop contained evidence of communication with WikiLeaks and went so far as to suggest the police department had intentionally covered up the crime. "Again, I don't think it comes from the chief's office," Wheeler said. "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]."
At the time of Rich's death, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange announced a $20,000 reward for information about his killing, which fueled speculation about their correspondence. Rich's family has continued to deny any speculation correlating their son to WikiLeaks. Rich's parents were "distressed by the apparent political exploitation of their son's death," according to Newsweek, and eschewed the speculation about the case following the WikiLeaks reward announcement.
As right-wing outlets resurface Rich's story and rely on Wheeler's unauthorized, anonymous information, Rich's parents have once again expressed their discontent with the manipulation of his death. Fox News, in particular, appears to have latched on to Rich's murder as a way to demonstrate that President Donald Trump did not collude with Russia nor provide WikiLeaks with classified information.
"There's a special place in hell for people like that." - Rep for Seth's family
Way to go @fox5dc!https://t.co/mhoP7R2WUc
— jordan 🌹 (@JordanUhl) May 16, 2017
In response to the increased popularity of conspiracy-driven theories about Rich's death, his family's spokesman, Brad Bauman, spoke to Business Insider. He condemned both Wheeler's actions and the media's speculation. "It's sad but unsurprising that a group of media outlets, who have repeatedly lied to the American people, would try and manipulate the legacy of a murder victim in order to forward their own political agenda," Bauman said. "I think there is a special place in hell for people like that."
Rich's family also released an official statement. "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 statement read. "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."
