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Assange Implies Murdered DNC Staffer Was WikiLeaks' Source (washingtonpost.com)

Okian Warrior quotes a report from Fox News: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange implied in an interview that a murdered Democratic National Committee staffer was the source of a trove of damaging emails the rogue website posted just days before the party's convention. Speaking to Dutch television program Nieuswsuur Tuesday after earlier announcing a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Seth Rich's killer, Assange said the July 10 murder of Rich in Northwest Washington was an example of the risk leakers undertake. The Washington Post provides some details of the murder in its report: "Rich was shot twice in the back as he walked to his townhouse about 4:20 a.m. Nothing was taken, but police have said attempted robbery is their leading theory for a motive, noting a spike in robberies in the neighborhood in the preceding weeks. WikiLeaks released the trove of emails later that month, on July 22. Rich, 27, had worked for the DNC for two years and helped develop a computer program to make it easier for people to find polling places on Election Day. After his death, the DNC's then-chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), attended a vigil for Rich in front of his home, and Hillary Clinton, before she was nominated in her run for president, evoked his name during a speech in which she advocated for limiting the availability of guns."

43 of 706 comments (clear)

  1. Does anybody really doubt it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does anybody really doubt that this man was assassinated by the DNC/Clintons/etc.? Days after a huge scandal? Double tapped in the back and nothing taken? Does that sound like robbery to you?

    1. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, it wasn't a robbery since nothing was taken...

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    2. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      when 40 people associated with you suddenly "commit suicide" that's not something that happens all the time.

    3. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 4, Funny

      I dunno, if I had to listen to Hillary! drone on and on about needing more middle class taxes, I'd seriously consider suicide...

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    4. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The Clintons are "associated with" *thousands* of people. Bill was the f'ing president and Governor of Arkansas. Hillary has been politically active for decades. This is a 6 degrees problem and the evidence doesn't suggest that there's anything more than that.

    5. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by geek · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nice, thank you. Except that the next move will be to discredit Snopes in some way, citing how their neighbor's boyfriend's uncle knows a guy that works for Snopes and says they take hush-money from the DNC all the time.

      Not really necessary. Snopes has discredited themselves so many times now that they can't be taken seriously.

    6. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by msauve · · Score: 4, Funny

      "tinfoil over their entire body"

      Stannic Tinfinger? Sounds like a 007 villain.

      --
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    7. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by mbkennel · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, people are murdered all the time.

      But strangers are murdered, without robbery, infrequently. Strangers, not in criminal street or drug gangs and not being arrested by police, are murdered much less
      frequently than that. No witnesses, no leads, no explanations? A pro?

    8. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by HiThere · · Score: 4, Insightful

      OK. Now I've read the Snopes claim. They basically say that "conspiracy nuts" believe that the DNC is involved and the Police believe robbery. That's probably true, at least if you modify it to "the Police claim to believe it was robbery". It's not anything to base an opinion on. It certainly doesn't show that it wasn't a political murder...a quite difficult thing to prove, unless you do it by proving that it was something else.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    9. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, leakers who embarrass uber-powerful political figures get gunned down all the time in affluent neighborhoods by robbers who don't take their cellphones or wallets. I see it every day on the local news.

      --
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    10. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by WhiplashII · · Score: 4, Insightful

      A bungled robbery NEVER results in a double tap to the back.

      In a bungled robbery, the gun goes off while the victim and perp face each other most often, and there is not a second shot to confirm death. That's the whole point, the perp panics and forgets to take the stuff - he doesn't calmly put another round through the heart.

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    11. Re:Does anybody really doubt it by theskipper · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ergo: Kevin Bacon did it. In Arkansas. With guns.

      Lots of guns.

  2. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    lots of people involved with the Clintons seem to have a sudden case of suicide for no apparent reason.

  3. Hillary! and guns? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hillary Clinton, before she was nominated in her run for president, evoked his name during a speech in which she advocated for limiting the availability of guns

    When guns are outlawed, only Clinton "persuaders" will have guns. So you better vote correctly or else...

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    1. Re:Hillary! and guns? by Nikkos · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "“I know we are a smart enough nation to figure out how you protect responsible gun owners' rights and get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them,” Mrs. Clinton replied."

      Except that if that were true, then Clinton and the left wouldn't be constantly trying to ban a class of scary-looking rifles that are used in less murders than knives or even fists. https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-t...

      Compare 'rifles' to knives, blunt objects, or fists.

  4. Re: Clintons have killed tons of people by gnu-sucks · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.whatreallyhappened....

    Scroll down to "body count"

    Perhaps some of this is circumstantial, perhaps some is accidental. Perhaps. But perhaps some percentage of this really is what it seems (to me) to add up to.

  5. Clinton_body_count++ by liquid_schwartz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the 90's people who make excuses for the Clintons [I'm looking at you Snopes] suggested that anyone who knows so many people is bound to have some with questionable suicides. However I don't recall a similar list appearing either during the Bush II or Obama years. Just the Clintons. I guess we'll add that to the long list of amazing coincidences that continually surround the Clintons. For those too young to remember what I'm talking about, there is a long list of Clinton associates dying under questionable circumstances. The most notable was probably Vince Foster but there were others.

    1. Re:Clinton_body_count++ by hondo77 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Bill Clinton couldn't keep his bj with an intern secret but you want us to believe he's kept his involvement in the murder of dozens of people a secret. Because you're a moron.

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    2. Re:Clinton_body_count++ by Kohath · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Monica's bj would be a "secret" too, except she kept her stained dress and DNA tests exist. Otherwise she would be just another person on one of the various lists.

  6. Re:Debunked ??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Isn't it funny that Snopes managed to debunk this particular murder before a police report was available? In other words, Snopes says in effect that the allegations can't be true even though the facts haven't been established. Isn't that the opposite of proving something?

  7. Re:People who were associated with... by radarskiy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Must we allow Kevin Bacon to murder again?

  8. We know one of two things is true by radarskiy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. Julian Assange will out a source if it will get him press attention, or
    2. The dead guy was not the actual source and the DNC would have no motive to take retribution, so Julian Assange will lie about a source if it will get him press attention.

  9. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by bobbied · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There's a list, it's over 50 people.

    Being a Conservative Republican myself since Regan.. This list is hog wash born in the darkest corner of Arkansas. The Clinton's are many nasty things, but they are NOT stupid enough to be out ordering hits on their detractors. I don't put it past some of their supporters, but Bill and Hill wouldn't do something as stupid as you suggest.

    So can we PLEASE STOP with this tripe? Dredging up Vince Foster and Fort Marcy Park is pointless and detracts from *real* issues, like Hillary's role in the "bimbo eruption" team and what she allowed to be said about the long parade of women claiming Bill sexually abused them, then turning around claiming to be the "champion of women's issues" because she happens to have that kind of plumbing, not because she's done anything.

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  10. Anyone know what Assange's game is? by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This isn't whistle blowing anymore. For one thing a whistle blower _never_ reveals a source. Even if they're dead the sources family might be targeted. He's after Hilary. I can't say he doesn't have good reason ( she's part of the administration that arranged the false rape allegations ). I'm just not sure what he'll get out of this. Trump (and more importantly Mike Pence who's going to be the real president) aren't exactly favorable to Assange.

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    1. Re:Anyone know what Assange's game is? by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 5, Informative

      This isn't whistle blowing anymore. For one thing a whistle blower _never_ reveals a source.

      Julian didn't reveal the source either, and he stated as much in the interview.

      You're listening to what the *press* said Julian said. That's a completely different thing.

      (viz: what the press reports that Donald Trump says, versus what he *actually* said.)

  11. Re:Debunked by sexconker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Snopes would have "debunked" all the stories about the NSA spying on us a few years ago.

  12. Third option by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 4, Interesting

    1. Julian Assange will out a source if it will get him press attention, or
    2. The dead guy was not the actual source and the DNC would have no motive to take retribution, so Julian Assange will lie about a source if it will get him press attention.

    3. If you murder a Wikileaks source, Julian Assange will go after you with everything he's got, releasing the information at the worst possible moment, in the most damaging possible way, and offer rewards for the capture of the murderer.

    In other words, it's a message to those who would murder wikileaks informants.

    And in other news, Assange has stated that there are more Hillary Clinton revelations to come. The biggest stash yet, he says.

    He has stated that he has proof that Clinton had a hand in arming ISIS.

    I'm running out of popcorn - need to go out and buy some more!

    1. Re:Third option by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He has stated that he has proof that Clinton had a hand in arming ISIS.

      Fuck me, that's a nothingburger. Name me one administration that hasn't sold weapons all over the middle east. This isn't a Hillary or Democrat problem, it's an American problem.

      --
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  13. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's a list

    Please add me to the list!

    Me too!

    Tons of people? I guess I must have missed that "Soylent Clintons" sales day in my supermarket.

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  14. Re:Debunked? by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Until now, I have always found Snopes a reliable source of information. After having read what they had to say about Seth Rich, I do not understand how they can patently claim a "FALSE" status to this rumor. They offer no evidence at all to the contrary. Their claim that just because he was young, was part of the DNC since just 2014, and "only" developed a system to help voters find voting locations, means that he could not have been the source of the leak or killed to cover it up. If he had access to their systems to some degree, and was a developer capable of implementing a site of this scale for national consumption, then he most certainly could have obtained the emails if that particular server was interconnected in some way to the systems he had access to. That part actually fits to me, because that is where most leaks come from - not from a head honcho (as if the only person capable in Snope's eyes of causing such a leak was the main guy over the DNC email servers themselves). Usually it is someone ancillary on the fringes that has just enough access (or the ability to get the more privileged access relatively easily due to security vulnerabilities) that is responsible for these kinds of leaks. Look at Snowden.

    Their arguments are really illogical. For example:

    According to Joel Rich, Seth was on the phone with his girlfriend when the shooting started, and Rich indicated to his girlfriend that he was nearly home and not headed out for an FBI meeting implausibly scheduled in the middle of the night on a Saturday:

    Rich said Seth was talking to his girlfriend on the phone outside when the incident happened.

    “Asked him if he was home yet and he said just about, and then she heard some noise, he said he had to call her back — I don't know when that conversation ended but at 4:18 two shots were fired,” said Rich.

    What about that proves he wasn't set up with a fake FBI meeting? Maybe he went to the meeting location, no one was there, and he was going home and was ambushed? And this... "Asked him if he was home yet and he said just about" that doesn't mean he was headed home. He could have simply been reassuring her that he would be home soon, and didn't literally mean he was going home that instant and was just about there.

    And then there's the bit where the debunker said "an FBI meeting implausibly scheduled in the middle of the night on a Saturday". What?? If it wasn't a *real* FBI meeting, as the conspiracy theory states, then why not in the middle of the night? Maybe the FBI doesn't really do business in the middle of the night on the weekend (although they probably do), but most people would certainly think cloak and dagger affairs like that do happen at those times. So if he was tricked into meeting, what does that have to do with the plausibility of whether or not the FBI really does meet people at 4 AM on a Saturday? The goal would have been to get him alone so he could be killed without witnesses.

    I don't believe this theory is true, and I don't believe it was disproved. However to see Snopes claiming in black and white that it was debunked, with no actual evidence to back it up, has really knocked my respect for them down several notches.

    If there's something I missed that they presented as actual evidence that the theory is false, then please tell, because I didn't see it.

    --
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  15. The MSM doesn't count. by sethstorm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm ... going to need a slightly more reputable source to believe it.

    Then believe whatever lies that the conventional media feed you on the Clinton matter.

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  16. Re:Russians really hate Hillary by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Everything's a crazy conspiracy theory until it comes out decades later in declassified documents that it was true. I remember back in the 80's when charges that the CIA was helping South American drug lords import shit-tons of cocaine into the U.S. was just a crazy conspiracy theory too.

    I'm far from a tinfoil hat wearing kook. But the fact that this guy was murdered in a decent neighborhood just weeks after he leaked a bunch of sensitive documents about major political figures, by a "robber" who didn't even bother to take his cellphone or wallet, seems more than a little suspicious to me. It strains belief that it was all just a coincidence.

    Make no mistake, Edward Snowden would have met the same fate if he hadn't been smart enough to get the fuck out of the country.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  17. Re:Debunked ??? by EvilSS · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Police reported that Rich was conscious and breathing at the time of the shooting.

    Well duh, I imagine most shooting victims are alive and breathing when they are shot!

    In all seriousness though, he was shot in the back. He likely didn't know anything about the person who shot him, no matter what their motive was, if they didn't approach him after the shooting to rob him.

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  18. I did check the qoute by rsilvergun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here it is:

    "Whistle-blowers go to significant efforts to get us material and often very significant risks," Assange said. "As a 27-year-old, works for the DNC, was shot in the back, murdered just a few weeks ago for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington."

    He's strongly implying that the deceased man gave him information and that he was killed in retaliation. It's impossible for any reasonable person to conclude anything else when the quote is taken in context. Saying anything else is just being dishonest.

    The same is true for Donald's comment about Second Amendment Solutions. He was suggesting (in jest?) someone should assassinate Hilary if she wins. If you're not American and lack the proper context then you might have missed that. But there isn't a man or woman alive in the United States who didn't get his message loud and clear.

    The press is reporting exactly what both Assange and Donald said and meant. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable but it doesn't change facts. Hell, it makes me _very_ uncomfortable. There is no way in hell either man should be saying things like this for a variety of reasons. Donald's just a blow hard and an a-hole. I still don't what Assange is up to. Maybe he's given up on making the world a better place and wants it to burn...

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  19. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by uncqual · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's possible that dealing with the Clintons might just drive some people to suicide.

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  20. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by Alomex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nothing "decent" about that list. Vince Foster suicide was investigated to death by Republican prosecutor Kenneth Starr. Starr's report stated that he found no reason to believe the death was other than suicide.

    A list that contains such a person after being cleared by such an impeccable source with ample investigative resources is now proven to be impervious to facts.

    Heck for all I know Clinton killed every one of the other names listed, but this is the equivalent of the list opening with "the earth is flat and the moon landing was faked". No one in their sane mind would give any value to such a list.

  21. That's what you call a Two-Fer! by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hillary Clinton, before she was nominated in her run for president, evoked his name during a speech in which she advocated for limiting the availability of guns.

    Wow, not only was she able to kill the source of the leak to set an example of what happens when you cross the Clintons, she was ALSO able to use it to promote stronger gun-control! That's really getting two for the price of one.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  22. Re:Russians really hate Hillary by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 4, Informative

    Now for a slice of reality, the Russian government does not care which one is elected, Trump or Clinton, as they are empty figure heads

    I don't think you realize how serious this election is. Putin regards the breakup of the Soviet Union as a great tragedy. Only one of those candidates is implying that Russia can invade former USSR states like Estonia unless they cough up money they don't have.

    So they purged the democrat rolls of Bernie Sanders supporters

    I had no problem when I went to vote for Sanders. Nobody I knew who voted for Sanders (lots of people) was "purged" from the "democrat rolls". And when I eagerly rifled through that DNC dump looking for dirt on Hillary, I came up empty.

    One truly laughable complaint by Clinton against Trump, critiquing Trump for inciting violence, seriously WTF?

    Yeah, WTF is right... Trump wasn't calling for assassination, just "armed revolt"!

  23. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by Cytotoxic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah, it is nutty tinfoil hat stuff.

    However, it is interesting that they came up with someone who committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest. Twice. With two separate guns.

    That's nutty enough to inspire a boatload of conspiracy theories all by itself - forget any connection to political powers.

    And there was a guy who committed suicide by cutting his arms 11 times, his neck twice and shooting himself in the head in such a way that no gun was found.

    Or the suicide by gunshot to the back of the head.

    Or the chick who packed her luggage and arranged it in the living room before committing suicide by gunshot.

    Another guy who committed suicide with two guns? Wait... What?

    Somebody spent a lot of time trolling the papers for weird suicide stories. How the heck do you even find a single "suicide by two guns" story? That can't be true... can it? Not the Clinton part.... just the "suicide by two guns" part. Most of these stories have to be covered in goofy sauce that doesn't hold up to scrutiny, right?

    So a quick trip to Wikipedia.... and multiple gunshot suicide is actually a thing. And not just "guy rigged up two guns", but actual "dude took 3 shots in the chest to kill himself" multiple gunshot suicide. from the wiki:

    One particular case has been documented from Australia. In February 1995, a man committed suicide on parkland in Canberra. He took a pump action shotgun and shot himself in the chest. The load passed through the chest without hitting a rib, and went out the other side. He then walked fifteen meters, pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the head. After reloading the shotgun, he leaned the shotgun against his throat, and shot his throat and part of his jaw. He then reloaded a final time, walked 200 meters to a hill, sat down on the slope, held the gun against his chest with his hands and operated the trigger with his toes. This shot entered the thoracic cavity and demolished the heart, killing him.[5][6]

    Now that's determination.

  24. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by russotto · · Score: 5, Funny

    Vince Foster suicide was investigated to death by Republican prosecutor Kenneth Starr. Starr's report stated that he found no reason to believe the death was other than suicide.

    And that's why Ken Starr is alive today.

  25. Re: Clintons have killed tons of people by Darinbob · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not a moron for linking to the website and mentioning it, but for pointing to that website as evidence.

  26. Re:Clintons have killed tons of people by rtb61 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hint, hint, kind of stupid to professional suicide someone if you don't get away with. Sure plenty of amateurs get caught and most certainly the Clinton Clowns would have got caught if they attempted to do is personally, hence insider professionals were likely involved and using the government trained skills, quite simply got away with it as you would expect professionals to do (the reason why it was investigated 'to death' is it made no sense, except as the individual being suicided). Now a crushed throat training accident and two bullets in the back suicide 'er' robbery, in short order, added to the rest of the list, real organised crime stuff.

    --
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  27. Re: Clintons have killed tons of people by meta-monkey · · Score: 4, Informative

    Oh please. Snopes does this all the time to mislead people. They create a strawman of the actual story so they can label it "mostly false" and then in the print acknowledge the actual argument so they can pretend to be credible. Case in point, the Philando Castile shooting.

    Castile was shot by a police officer in July. His girlfriend then made a video of the aftermath and put it up on facebook in which she claims they were stopped for a busted taillight and the officer flipped out and shot Castile for no reason other than the racist cop was scared of black people. The media ran with the girlfriend's story without question. This drew national attention and was one of the incidents cited by the man who shot and killed 5 Dallas police officers later in the week as one of the motivations for his actions.

    Her story sounded fishy, and conservative media, which doesn't believe that racist cops are gunning people down for no reason investigated and found that, in fact, Castile was pulled over because he matched the description of an armed robber from a convenience store heist a few days before. And this is the claim made in the article snopes declared false:

    Castile and Ms. Diamond Reynolds (Facebook video uploader) were pulled over by police because Castile matched a BOLO Alert for an armed robbery suspect from four days prior.

    What does snopes pick as the claim?

    Claim: Philando Castile was wanted for armed robbery when he was killed by police officers.

    Which they then labeled "MOSTLY FALSE."

    No. No one ever said the cops were out looking specifically for Castile. Just that he was pulled over because he matched the description (and he did). So, reality is the cop did not freak out and murder a random black man. He had a reasonable suspicion he was dealing with an armed robber. It would have been great if the situation had ended a different way, but if the officer was wary of the man and shot it was "because possible armed robber" and not "because black." To this day we do not know if Castile was the robber or not. I looked and couldn't find any new information about that aspect of the investigation.

    Why didn't snopes choose this as the claim:

    Claim: Philando Castile was stopped on suspicion of armed robbery when he was killed by police officers.

    That's the actual claim from conservative media, and could have been labeled "TRUE."

    But, snopes has their bias to push, so of course they can't do that. Would have been nice, though. Maybe if the media had run with "Man pulled over on suspicion of armed robbery shot" instead of "Racist cop murders black man for no reason" the Dallas shooter might not have been so mad, and not murdered all those cops?

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