THE FAMILY OF THE RECENTLY MURDERED DNC STAFFER, SETH RICH,
ARE ASKING SOME CONSPIRACY THEORISTS ONLINE TO BACK OFF AT
LEAST TEMPORARILY WHILE THEY GRIEVE.
HE WAS A 27-YEAR-OLD
DATA ANALYST AT THE DNC, OR WAS --
>>THAT IS WHAT THE POLICE SAY, THEY ARE CURRENTLY STILL LOOKING
FOR INFORMATION SINCE HE DIED, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO THE KILLER
WAS.
SOME PEOPLE LEGITIMATELY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED, BECAUSE IT IS DESCRIBED AS A ROBBERY GONE
WRONG, YET HIS WALLET AND PHONE WERE STILL ON HIS BODY WHEN HE
WAS FOUND.
SO SOME PEOPLE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.
SOME PEOPLE GO
JUST A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, ONE OF THOSE IS JULIAN ASSANGE, YOU
MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH HIS WORK FROM WIKILEAKS, HE WAS
INTERVIEWED RECENTLY ABOUT THE ELECTION AND THE KILLING OF SETH
RICH CAME UP.
>>IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL LEXICON THERE IS SUCH A THING AS
THE OCTOBER SURPRISE.
THE STUFF YOU ARE SITTING ON, IS AN
OCTOBER SURPRISE IN THERE?
DO WE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SITTING ON?
>>WIKILEAKS NEVER SITS ON MATERIAL.
WHISTLEBLOWERS GO TO
SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS TO GET US MATERIAL, AND OFTEN SIGNIFICANT
RISKS.
THERE WAS A 27-YEAR-OLD WHO WORKS FOR THE DNC WHO WAS
SHOT IN THE BACK, MURDERED, JUST TWO WEEKS AGO FOR UNKNOWN
REASONS AS HE WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREET IN WASHINGTON.
>>THAT WAS JUST A ROBBERY, I BELIEVE, WASN'T IT?
>>THERE IS NO FINDING.
>>WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING?
>>I'M SUGGESTING THAT OUR SOURCES TAKE RISKS, AND THEY
BECOME CONCERNED TO SEE THINGS OCCURRING LIKE THAT.
>>WAS HE ONE OF YOUR SOURCES THEN?
>>WE DON'T COMMENT ON WHO OUR SOURCES ARE.
>>THEN WHY MAKE THE SUGGESTION ABOUT A YOUNG GUY BEING SHOT IN
THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON?
>>BECAUSE WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW HIGH THE STAKES ARE IN THE
UNITED STATES, AND THAT OUR SOURCES -- YOU KNOW, OUR SOURCES
FACE SERIOUS RISKS, THAT'S WHY THEY COME TO US, SO WE CAN
PROTECT THEIR ANONYMITY.
>>BUT IT'S QUITE SOMETHING TO SUGGEST A MURDER, THAT IS
BASICALLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
>>OTHERS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT.
WE ARE INVESTIGATING TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT SITUATION WITH SETH RICH.
I THINK IT IS A
CONCERNING SITUATION, THERE IS NOT A CONCLUSION YET, WE
WOULDN'T BE WILLING TO STATE A CONCLUSION, BUT WE ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT IT.
>>HE IS TALKING ABOUT PROTECTING THE ANONYMITY OF THEIR SOURCES
-- I DON'T KNOW IF HE REALLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT PROTECTING
ANONYMITY IS IF HE'S SAYING THAT IS A SOURCE, BUT I'M NOT SAYING
ANYTHING, THERE ARE HIGH-STAKES BUT I'M NOT SAYING -- AS OF
RIGHT NOW HE HASN'T CONFIRMED THAT SETH RICH WAS A SOURCE.
NO
EVIDENCE HAS BEEN PROVIDED THAT HE WAS A SOURCE, ALTHOUGH WE DO
KNOW THAT THERE WERE APPARENTLY SOURCES INSIDE THE DNC SO
IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
>>SOURCES -- WIKILEAKS SOURCES INSIDE THE DNC?
>>THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE.
ADDITIONALLY,
WIKILEAKS ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WILL BE PROVIDING $20,000 FOR A
REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE CONVICTION OF THE
MURDER OF SETH RICH.
>>I'M SURE THAT WILL MOVE SOME PEOPLE.
I WASN'T GOING TO RISK
MY LIFE BEFORE, BUT 20G?
>>IT IS ALMOST DOUBLING THE $25,000
REWARD POSTED BY WASHINGTON POLICE.
>>YOU COULD ALMOST WALK INTO ANY CAR DEALERSHIP AND GET A CIVIC.
>>DON'T SPEC IT OUT TO HIGH.
>>IT'S MORE THAN $40,000
NOW, IF IT WAS JUST A ROBBERY THAT COULD MOVE SOMEBODY.
>>IF IT WAS JUST A ROBBERY.
BUT THEY DIDN'T TAKE HIS WALLET,
RIGHT?
>>APPARENTLY NOT.
>>RIGHT, BUT --
>>MAYBE THEY CHECKED THE WRONG POCKET, MAYBE THEY WERE BAD?
>>LET'S PRESUME IT WAS A ROBBERY, I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA.
>>THERE WERE OTHER INJURIES ASIDE FROM HIM BEING SHOT.
>>HE RUNS, YOU PANIC, YOU SHOOT SOMEBODY -- YOU DON'T GO THROUGH
THE WALLET, YOU RUN.
THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS IN A ROBBERY GONE
WRONG, I JUST SHOT SOMEBODY, NOW I RUN.
AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF
CRIMES WERE PEOPLE GET SHOT AND THE WALLET IS NOT GOING.
OBVIOUSLY THAT IS AN ANGLE OF INVESTIGATION THAT WOULD BE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN IT WASN'T A ROBBERY.
>>WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HIM IMPLYING TRANSPARENTLY THAT HE
WAS THE SOURCE?
>>I DON'T WANT TO SAY WHAT I THINK OF JULIAN ASSANGE ON A TYT
EPISODE.
>>IMPLYING THAT HE WAS A SOURCE AND HE WAS MURDERED BECAUSE OF
THE INFORMATION HE SHARED.
IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE BUT THERE IS NO
DIRECT EVIDENCE THAT THAT IS THE CASE, AND THIS IS NOT A GUY WHO
EXISTS FLOATING THROUGH THE ETHER WITH NO CONNECTION TO THE
REAL WORLD, HE HAS A FAMILY, FRIENDS, WHO DON'T NECESSARILY
WANT TO HEAR, WEEKS INTO THEIR GRIEVING PROCESS, THAT HE WAS
APPARENTLY MURDERED BY HILLARY CLINTON BECAUSE HE SHARED
INFORMATION ABOUT HER CAMPAIGN, WHICH IS NOT DIRECTLY WHAT
ASSANGE IS SAYING, BUT THAT'S WHAT HE'S TRYING TO GET YOU
TO BELIEVE.
>>IF THAT IS TRUE I'M VOTING FOR JILL STEIN.
>>I'M STILL GOING GARY JOHNSON.
TOTALLY KIDDING.
THIS MESSAGE
WAS PUT OUT BY THE FAMILY --
>>AND THIS MIGHT BE
A SIDE NOTE, BUT
WHEN HE WAS ASKED
ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF AN OCTOBER SURPRISE, AND HE SAID WE
NEVER SIT ON INFORMATION, THAT'S DEMONSTRABLY UNTRUE.
THEY'VE
RELEASED DAMAGING INFORMATION THAT HAS APPARENTLY AFFECTED THE
ELECTION, AND THEY ANNOUNCED FAR AHEAD OF TIME THAT THEY WERE
GOING TO.
HE HAS ANNOUNCED HE HAS MORE INFORMATION, THEY ARE
SITTING ON INFORMATION.
WHETHER IT IS ACCURATE OR NOT, IT'S SIMPLY A LIE TO SAY
THEY DON'T SIT ON INFORMATION.
>>THE ROLE OF WIKILEAKS IN AN OPEN SOCIETY IS PROBABLY VITAL,
ESPECIALLY AS SOCIETY HAS GOTTEN LESS OPEN, BUT THAT GUY IS FULL
OF SHIT AND IF YOU DON'T SEE IT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND PEOPLE,
THAT GUY IS FULL OF SHIT.
>>I FEEL LIKE WHETHER HE IS FULL OF SHIT OR NOT IS IRRELEVANT.
>>NOT IN THIS SPECIFIC CASE, OVERALL MAYBE.
>>I FEEL LIKE EVEN IN THIS CASE, BECAUSE HE CAN ALLEGE OR IMPLY
ANYTHING HE WANTS -- AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT MATTERS THE MOST
IS AN INVESTIGATION, WHAT MATTERS THE MOST IS WHETHER OR
NOT THERE IS INFORMATION OUT THERE TO PROVE OR DENY WHAT HE
IS ALLEGING.
IF HE IS SAYING WE ARE OFFERING X AMOUNT OF MONEY
IN ORDER TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT HAPPENED DURING THIS
CASE, I'M FINE WITH THAT, IT'S OKAY.
>>TO BE FAIR THAT CAME AFTER HEAVILY IMPLYING HE WAS
MURDERED FOR WHAT HE DID FOR WIKILEAKS.
>>I GET IT.
>>THE STORY HAS SPREAD, A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS, JULIAN
ASSANGE IS A KIND OF PERSON, THANKS TO HIS CONTRIBUTIONS, HAS
GENERATED, ESPECIALLY ON THE LEFT, QUITE A BIT OF RESPECT, SO
MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS GUY WAS MURDERED BASED ON THE
CREDIBILITY OF JULIAN ASSANGE.
>>IT IS NO DIFFERENT -- IT IS DONALD TRUMP SAYING YOU HAVEN'T
SHOWN ME YOUR COLLEGE RECORDS, YOU HAVEN'T SHOWN ME YOU DIDN'T
CHECK A BOX FOR YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T BORN IN AMERICA, YOU
HAVEN'T RELEASED YOUR LONGFORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
YOU ARE
ASKING PEOPLE TO DISPROVE A NEGATIVE.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THIS CASE, THE OVERWHELMING LIKELIHOOD IS IT IS
WHY ANYBODY GETS MURDERED IN A CITY.
IT IS NOT A MOVIE.
BUT I
DON'T KNOW, I GUESS IT COULD BE.
IF THERE IS ANYTHING LIKE A
DILIGENT COP WORKING IT, THEY WILL HAVE THE STORY OF THE
CENTURY.
BUT BASICALLY WHAT HE IS DOING IS JUST SORT OF FEEDING
THIS FRENZY OF ASKING PEOPLE TO DISPROVE A NEGATIVE, THEN WE SIT
AROUND HERE, AND ALL OVER THE WORLD PEOPLE SIT AROUND DUMB
TABLES LIKE THIS, AND SAY THEY SHOULD JUST INVESTIGATE IT -- HE
HAS NOTHING, UNLESS HE HAS SOMETHING, AND IF HE HAS
SOMETHING HE IS SITTING ON IT.
>>I GUESS THE SOMETHING WOULD BE IF HE SAID YES, HE IS OUR
SOURCE.
BUT FOR SOME REASON HE DOESN'T WANT TO.
>>BUT EVEN THEN, SOURCES TO WIKILEAKS CAN BE MURDERED IN A
DANGEROUS CITY.
>>THEN DON'T GO ON THE SHORE TALK ABOUT IT, THEN YOU PROTECT
YOUR SOURCE IN THE WAY ANYBODY WOULD.
YOU DON'T GET ON TV AND
WINK.