Murdered Jewish DNC staffer was WikiLeaks’ source, say investigators

Seth Rich

The Jewish Democratic National Committee staffer who was gunned down on July 10 on a Washington, D.C., street just steps from his home had leaked thousands of internal emails to WikiLeaks, investigative sources told Fox News.

A federal investigator who reviewed an FBI forensic report -- generated within 96 hours after DNC staffer Seth Rich's murder -- detailing the contents Rich’s computer said he made contact with WikiLeaks through Gavin MacFadyen, a now-deceased American investigative reporter, documentary filmmaker, and director of WikiLeaks who was living in London at the time.

“I have seen and read the emails between Seth Rich and WikiLeaks,” the federal investigator told Fox News, confirming the MacFadyen connection. He said the emails are in possession of the FBI, while the stalled case is in the hands of the Washington Police Department.

The revelation is consistent with the findings of Rod Wheeler, a former DC homicide detective and Fox News contributor and whose private investigation firm was hired by a third party on behalf of Rich’s family to probe the case. Rich was shot from behind in the wee hours, but was not robbed.

“My investigation up to this point shows there was some degree of email exchange between Seth Rich and WikiLeaks,” Wheeler said. “I do believe that the answers to who murdered Seth Rich sits on his computer on a shelf at the DC police or FBI headquarters.”

The federal investigator, who requested anonymity, said 44,053 emails and 17,761 attachments between Democratic National Committee leaders, spanning from January 2015 through late May 2016, were transferred from Rich to MacFadyen before May 21.

On July 22, just 12 days after Rich was killed, WikiLeaks published internal DNC emails that appeared to show top party officials conspired to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont from becoming the party’s presidential nominee. That controversy resulted in Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigning as DNC chairperson. A number of Sanders supporters refused to back party nominee Hillary Clinton, and some subsequently formed groups to work against Clinton and the party.

WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange has stopped short of identifying Rich as the source of the emails, but has taken a keen interest in the case, and has not denied working with Rich.

“WikiLeaks has decided to issue a US$20k reward for information leading to conviction for the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich,” the organization announced.

Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department has no suspects and no substantial leads as to who the killer or killers may be, sources close to the investigation said. Metropolitan Police, including the police chief, have refused to discuss the case, despite requests from Fox News dating back 10 months.

The department released a statement on the case saying it remains an active investigation and that detectives are working with Rich's family.

"If there are any individuals who feel they have information, we urge them to call us at 

(202) 727-9099 

or text us at 50411," read the statement. 

"The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information on this case that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible."

The FBI’s national office declined to comment, but sources said the bureau provided cyber expertise to examine Rich’s computer.

Wheeler believes powerful forces are preventing the case from a thorough investigation.

“My investigation shows someone within the D.C. government, Democratic National Committee or Clinton team is blocking the murder investigation from going forward,” Wheeler told Fox News. “That is unfortunate. Seth Rich’s murder is unsolved as a result of that.”

A spokesman for the Rich family said Wheeler was not authorized to speak for the family and called assertions Seth Rich sent emails to WikiLeaks "unsubstantiated." Brad Bauman said even if purported emails were to surface, it would not necessarily mean Rich had helped WikiLeaks.

"Even if tomorrow, an email was found, it is not a high enough bar of evidence to prove any interactions as emails can be altered and we've seen that those interested in pushing conspiracies will stop at nothing to do so," Bauman said. "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."

Whatever Rich's possible activities prior to his murder, the case remains a mystery.

Two assailants caught on a grainy video tape from a camera posted outside a grocery mart, shot Rich twice in his back, but did not take his wallet, cell phone, keys, watch or necklace worth about $2,000.

Police should consider all angles, Wheeler said, especially in light of Assange’s statements to a Dutch television reporter who asked about Rich.

“I am suggesting,” Assange told the Dutch reporter, “that our sources take risks, and they, they become concerned to see things occurring like that.”

On Twitter, WikiLeaks announced the reward but said Assange’s statement “should not be taken to imply that Seth Rich was a source for WikiLeaks or to imply that his murder is connected to our publications” because WikiLeaks has a policy not to release the names of its sources, even after their death.

In subsequent appearances on Fox News Channel, Assange confirmed, “We're interested in anything that might be a threat to alleged WikiLeaks sources.”

Assange has not returned a series of recent emails from Fox News about Rich. MacFadyen, who was considered a mentor by Assange, died of lung cancer on Oct. 22 at age 76.

D.C. police have announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of Rich’s killer. 

Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman has offered a separate $130,000 reward.

Rich had been at Lou’s City Bar a couple of miles from his home until about 1:15 a.m. He walked home, calling several people along the way. He called his father, Joel Rich, who he missed because he had gone to sleep. He talked with a fraternity brother and his girlfriend, Kelsey Mulka.

Around 4:17 a.m., Rich was about a block from his home when Mulka, still on the phone with him, heard voices in the background. Rich reassured her that he was steps away from being at his front door and hung up.

Two minutes later, Rich was shot twice. Police were on the scene within three minutes. Rich sustained bruising on his hands and face. He remained conscious, but died at a nearby hospital less than two hours later.

Police detectives will not say whether Rich provided them with any clues about the identity of his attackers or their motivation, Wheeler said. However, Wheeler believes Rich could have provided information prior to his death of who was responsible for carrying out his murder.

Police also have refused to release security footage from a market on the corner of the crosswalk where Rich was killed. The footage, sources told Fox News, shows two people following Rich across the tiny crosswalk just moments before he was attacked. The camera captured grainy footage of the assailants’ legs and Rich as he fell backward into the street after being shot.

WHITE HOUSE QUESTIONS AUTHENTICITY OF 'WESTERN WALL' SOVEREIGNTY COMMENTS

The Trump administration is denying that one of its top officials characterized the Western Wall as West Bank territory outside of established Israeli jurisdiction, after local reports claimed a US official said as much to counterparts in the prime minister's office.

"These comments, if true, were not authorized by the White House," a spokesman told The Jerusalem Post on Monday afternoon. "They do not reflect the US position, and certainly not the president's position."

Earlier on Monday, a report on Channel 2 indicated that a US official considered the Western Wall in Jerusalem — part of Judaism’s holiest site of the Temple Mount — outside of Israeli sovereignty. The wall and Temple Mount complex were taken over by Israel fifty years ago in the Six Day War, and their fate remains a core issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu had requested joining Trump on his visit to the site, Channel 2 reported, only to be denied on these grounds.

"The statement that the Western Wall is on territory in the West Bank was astonishing. Israel has turned to the US on this matter,” an official in Netanyahu’s office said in response.

HARSH EXCHANGE BETWEEN TRUMP AND NETANYAHU TEAMS

A White House official called the Western Wall part of the West Bank and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not invited to join US President Donald Trump on his visit to the site, according to Channel 2 who quoted the official on Monday evening. 

A dramatic appears to have been created between Washington and Jerusalem as US President Donald Trump's team as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's team both issued harsh statements on Monday evening less than a week prior to the president's much-expected visit to Israel. 

The drama unfolded when a senior White House official said that the Western Wall was part of the West Bank and not part of Israel's territory, as Channel 2 reported on Monday.
"The Western Wall is not in your territory," the official reportedly said. 

It seems that the official was prompted to make the statement after members of Netanyahu's team asked if Netanyahu could join Trump on the visit to the Western Wall and whether Israeli photographers could document the event, to which the Americans replied that the Western Wall was a "disputed territory."

According to Channel 2, the same official told members of Netanyahu's team that Trump's visit to the Western Wall was a private visit and also added: "No way, why is this your business?"

The official allegedly went on to say: "This is not your territory but rather part of the West Bank."
A source close to the preparations team in Israel told Channel 2 that the statements made by the White House official were received with utter shock by Netanyahu's team. "In Israel they're convinced that this statement is opposed to President Trump's policy as it was expressed recently in his behavior and in his firm resistance to the most recent Security Council resolution. Israel has turned to to the US [to discuss this further]." 

And as Netanyahu's team reeled from the shocking and negative remarks that were reportedly made by the US official today, it also faced another worrying report coming from a senior Fox news correspondent who took to social media to claim earlier in the day that the premier had asked US President Donald Trump to keep the US embassy in Tel Aviv and not relocate it to Israel's capital. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office denied the claim on Monday evening, issuing a  statement that said: "The things published on Fox News are a lie."

The premier's office was referring to a tweet posted earlier in the day by Fox News foreign correspondent Connor Powell, who wrote on Twitter that "everyone I've spoken to in DC that has been briefed on #Jerusalem embassy move says #Netanyahu told #Trump not to move embassy at this time." 

The firm denial coming from the prime minister's office was backed by a rare and unusual move. The statement released by the office included a transcript from Netanyahu's meeting with Trump in Washington which took place this February, acting as proof that the report provided by Powell was false. 

The transcript included the following:

"From a summary of the lunch at the White House: 'President Trump was asked about the embassy and explained that it (moving the embassy) will not cause bloodshed in the region, like he has been warned against (President Trump).' "

Netanyahu on Monday called again on Trump to move the embassy to Jerusalem, on the same day that his controversial Israel envoy pick David Friedman arrives in Israel to begin his tenure. 

FBI TRUMP-Russian Connection

No ..... these are not Nazis ....these are Jews Burning the Jewish Flag and an IDF Soldier in Effigy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned those who burned in effigy IDF soldiers during Lag Ba’omer celebrations in Jerusalem on Saturday night.

“Last night, there was a reprehensible incident in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting.

“An extremist and truly marginal faction of ultra-orthodox society, a faction identified with Neturei Karta, burned effigies of IDF soldiers in uniform along with Israeli flags, in order to offend ultra-orthodox soldiers,” Netanyahu said.

“This was deplorable. IDF soldiers guard everyone, including the ultra-Orthodox, including these people. I expect, request and demand that all public leaders condemn this despicable act and I also request that the police find those responsible,” he added.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman called on Israel’s police force to get involved and for leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community to condemn those actions.

Monsey Among Worst Places In U.S. For Credit Card Debt

Residents who live in Monsey, a hamlet of Ramapo, might want to rethink their credit card use after a recent study ranked the hamlet as being the fifth worst place in the country for credit card debt.

According to a study by WalletHub, the average credit card holder has an outstanding balance of $5,849 with a collective nationwide balance of $927.1 billion in 2016.

In Monsey, the average balance was $7,569 with an average income of $18,825, or 41 percent of their income, according to Business Insider .

In the study, WalletHub looked at the average credit card balance and the median income, ranking them by how long it would take the average person to pay off the debt.

Residents of Monsey, whose medium income are below the national average of $32,261, will likely struggle to meet the minimum payments, said Business Insider.

Happy Lag Ba"omer

Crazed Maxine Waters Interview on Comey Firing

Frum Child ITerrorist n Beit Shemesh Throws A Rock At Woman For Being Immodest

Now we have children following in the footsteps of their parents. We are bringing up a generation of savages ...... who have no respect for anyone that doesn't look like them .....

Where are the "internet banning" rabbis? Where are the Gedoilim who prohibit people with Iphones from being witnesses at weddings?
Tell me the difference between them and arab children throwing rocks????

A chareidi child Terrorist on Tuesday, 13 Iyar, threw a rock at a 50-year-old woman R”L when he decided she was not dressed modestly.

The woman, Mrs. Rachael Sifra, was transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital with only light injuries Baruch Hashem. Police are searching for the child terrorist who attacked her.

The victim’s daughter relates to the incident as a “terror attack”, explaining her mother was injured in her head and she required medical care in a hospital. She points out her mother was walking in Beit Shemesh; which is primarily secular and dati leumi, as opposed to Ramat Beit Shemesh; which is primarily chareidi, but she was attacked nonetheless.

Beit Shemesh Mayor (Shas) Moshe Abutbul spoke with Beit Shemesh Police Chief Ronen Garush, asking him to take part in a special session in City Hall. The investigation continues as does the search for the boy.

Mrs. Sifra spoke to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Wednesday morning 14 Iyar, telling of her ordeal and how she is disgusted, explaining she was walking on the street in her area and was attacked at 7:00PM because she was wearing a tee-shirt. She did not see the attacker, explaining “I was in shock and simply did not know how to react. They took me to Hadassah and I am still there”.

Mrs. Sifra lives in Beit Shemesh for 32 years, adding she was attacked with a rock for the first time a few years ago but the rock missed. Then too she admits it was because “They felt I was not dressed modestly”.

Mrs. Sifra lives in a mixed area of religious and secular areas but the attack occurred in the exclusively religious area. She is fed up with shouts of “Shabbes” all the time, adding in one occasion her husband fell and fractured his arm.

For Rachel, she has had enough and plans to leave the city for Ashdod. She adds many others feel as she does, questioning why religious neighbors cannot tolerate others.

Trump Hater Colbert Announces Comey’s Firing, But Audience Cheers????

Here’s a fascinating little encapsulation of life in 2017 America. When the rules change on the fly so instantly, it’s tough for an audience of trained seals to know how to react.

When the studio audience cheered James Comey’s firing, as they’ve been trained to do for half a year now, Colbert retorted: “Huge, huge Donald Trump fans here tonight.” Well, that’s what they get for missing that hairpin swerve in the narrative. The daily Two Minutes Hate gets confusing when you don’t know who and what to boo.

If you’ve picked a team, you gotta stick with that team no matter what. If that means howling for six months about firing James Comey, and then turning on a dime and condemning the firing of James Comey, so be it.

In this clip of Colbert announcing Comey's firing, his crowd appears to be confused by how Colbert wanted them to react, and then syncing back up with Colbert's opinion seconds later. This creates for a hilariously awkward moment that leaves Colbert off guard for a few seconds, and then instantly disses his audiences as "Trump fans". What a dunce.

So...does this prove Colbert fans really are sheep that happen to think whatever Colbert wants them to think?