{"id":73095,"date":"2017-05-23T21:01:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T01:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=73095"},"modified":"2017-05-23T21:01:13","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T01:01:13","slug":"dnc-affiliates-increase-involvement-in-seth-rich-case-after-wheeler-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=73095","title":{"rendered":"DNC Affiliates Increase Involvement In Seth Rich Case After Wheeler Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

William Craddick
\nDisobedient Media<\/p>\n

Last week, Fox 5 DC\u2019s report<\/a> incited a storm of controversy after former D.C. police homicide detective Rod Wheeler stated that there was tangible evidence on murdered Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer Seth Rich\u2019s laptop suggesting that he was communicating with Wikileaks prior to his death. The story generated a large amount of outrage, with outlets like the Washington Post<\/a> and Vice<\/a> labelling it a \u201cconspiracy theory\u201d and claiming that it had no basis in fact. But details regarding the political affiliation of spokespeople and representatives of the Rich family appear to indicate that the DNC may be prioritizing its own interests, minimizing alleged political elements to the tragedy.<\/p>\n

I. Legal Representatives And Spokespeople For Rich Family Have Ties To DNC, Crime Connected Unions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since Fox 5 DC\u2019s report, a number of individuals speaking on behalf of the Rich family have blasted Fox News and Rod Wheeler for speaking out on the case. Rich family spokesman Brad Bauman insisted that anyone who continued to push the story either had a \u201ctransparent political agenda,\u201d or were a sociopath. But an August 2016 tweet from Wikileaks<\/a> revealed that Bauman is a crisis public relations consultant working with the Pastorum Group<\/a>. A media release<\/a> from the Pastorum Group reveals that Bauman previously worked for the DNC and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).<\/p>\n

The SEIU has previously been reported by the Wall Street Journal<\/a>as a \u201ctop spender\u201d for the Democrats, openly endorsed Hillary Clinton<\/a> in 2016 and actively assisted<\/a> in her campaign. It has been widely criticized<\/a> by some groups for the involvement of union members in crimes including embezzlement, criminal conspiracy, perjury and identity theft. The SEIU is also a client of the Strategic Consulting Group<\/a>, which was founded by the Democratic operative Robert Creamer<\/a>. In 2016, Creamer was implicated in footage obtained by journalist James O\u2019Keefe<\/a>which revealed that Creamer was engaging in voting fraud and violent disruption of political events, sometimes using his connections to unions who were as clients of his.<\/p>\n

Bauman\u2019s past professional ties to the DNC and the SEIU raise questions about the vehemence with which he has attacked journalists reporting on the circumstances of Seth Rich\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

On May 19th, Rod Wheeler was sent a cease and desist letter<\/a> on behalf of the Rich family by Joseph Ingrisano of the law firm Kutak Rock LLP<\/a>. Kutak Rock has a long history of incredibly close affiliation with DNC politicians. The law firm donated $21,850 and $13,400 to President Barack Obama during his 2008<\/a>and 2012<\/a> campaigns, respectively. Kutak also gave $11,800 to Hillary Clinton<\/a> during her 2016 presidential bid.<\/p>\n

Kutak also has ties to the Rose Law Firm, which was at the center of the infamous Whitewater Controversy<\/a> during the 1990\u2019s. Hillary Clinton<\/a> as well as White House staffer Vince Foster both practiced law at Rose, though Clinton has sought to distance herself from the firm given the allegations of scandal that surrounded it. On April 13th, 1998, Arkansas Business<\/a>reported that a number of attorneys from Rose left the firm for Kutak Rock. Kutak Rock<\/a> continues to maintain offices in Little Rock, Arkansas.<\/p>\n

Pro-Democrat interests have also taken to Change.org<\/a> to attack companies advertising with Fox 5 DC. The boycott campaign is organized by Karl Frisch<\/a>, a former senior fellow at propaganda group Media Matters for America who spent his time at the organization helping develop \u201clong-term strategy to target Fox News as a political actor.\u201d<\/p>\n

II. Rich Family\u2019s Statements To The Public Are Inconsistent With Those Of Their Representatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the instance of representatives to the contrary, the Rich family have released multiple statements expressing gratitude to individuals privately attempting to help answer questions surrounding Rich\u2019s murder and indicating fatigue at efforts from both sides to politicize the tragedy. On April 24th, Seth Rich\u2019s parents released a video<\/a> thanking those who had \u201cstepped forward\u201d to help identify their son\u2019s killers and donated to the family\u2019s GoFundMe. A May 18th update to the GoFundMe page<\/a>by Seth Rich\u2019s brother Aaron exhibited a general annoyance at third parties who were using the family for political motives. He asked for help that would allow the family to solve Rich\u2019s murder without having to \u201crely on aid offered with strings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Message from Seth Rich\u2019s brother criticizing \u201cthird parties\u201d for politicizing Rich\u2019s murder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rich family themselves appears divided on who was responsible for Seth Rich\u2019s murder. Rich\u2019s cousin, Jonathan Rich<\/a>, told Sean Hannity on Twitter that he suspected Rich might have been in touch with Wikileaks. The topic clearly continues to remain controversial for the family.<\/p>\n

III. The Investigation Into Rich\u2019s Murder Has Been Marked By Incompetence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Facts about the investigation into Rich\u2019s murder continue to raise concerns about the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department\u2019s efforts to identify Seth Rich\u2019s killers. The public incident report<\/a> filed after Rich\u2019s death shows that several officers who responded to the scene of the crime were wearing body cameras. But the Metropolitan Police claimed the footage was \u201clost\u201d when met with requests to release the videos, which might have provided important clues. A May 21st, 2017 report by World Net Daily<\/a> has also established that police failed to speak with staff at Lou\u2019s City Bar (where Rich was last seen alive) to enquire about whether they had any pertinent evidence.<\/p>\n

Even stranger, police chief Cathy Lanier resigned<\/a> just a month after Rich\u2019s death. Her replacement, Peter Newsham<\/a>, has been plagued by past allegations of alcoholism and domestic violence. Newsham was also accused of severely mishandling a rape case after the family of an 11 year old girl alleged that he allowed the victim to be charged with filing a false report despite several medical accounts detailing her sexual injuries and genetic evidence indicating that she had been abused by multiple assailants.<\/p>\n

It is also not clear why police would seize Rich\u2019s laptop for an investigation into what was supposed to be a robbery gone bad. The Washington Post<\/a> claimed that neither the FBI nor the police were in possession of Rich\u2019s laptop. But this claim contradicts a report by the Washington Examiner<\/a> which cited a former law enforcement official who stated that the laptop was examined during the investigation.<\/p>\n

Whether the truth about who killed Seth Rich will emerge or not remains to be seen. In the aftermath of Fox 5 DC\u2019s claims, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom<\/a> claimed he would provide proof that Seth Rich was the source of Wikileaks DNC email release on May 23rd. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange<\/a> has additionally hinted that while Wikileaks never discloses their own sources, other parties may hold important information concerning Seth Rich\u2019s potential communications with the publisher.<\/p>\n

Should information emerge showing that Seth Rich did in fact act as a source for Wikileaks, the intense denials from national media outlets and the intimate involvement of figures tied to the DNC in the case will undoubtedly fuel renewed allegations of a politically motivated cover up.<\/p>\n

___
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