Seth Rich conspiracy theorists retract and apologize for false statements while resolving lawsuit

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“I take full responsibility for my comments and apologize for the pain I caused,” employer Ed Butowsky said in a statement retracting his previous comments. “I sincerely hope the Rich family can find out who murdered their son and end this tragic chapter in their lives.”

“Today we withdraw and disallow our statements and apologize to Mr. Rich and his family,” marginal Internet activist Matt Couch said in a separate video posted online. “I take full responsibility for my actions … and I would like to apologize to Mr. Rich and his family.”

The retractions occurred as part of an agreement Aaron Rich, Seth Rich’s brother, reached out with Butowsky and Couch over a lawsuit he filed against them in March 2018. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. . The Washington Times, a conservative news outlet that was also sued, also withdrew its claims and settled with Aaron Rich in October 2018.

In a statement, Aaron Rich said he was “satisfied” that the two have “taken responsibility for the statements they have made.”

“In the more than four years since we lost Seth, the allegations made against our family have only served to prolong our pain without us getting close to finding Seth’s killer,” Aaron Rich added. “While we will never be at peace until we get justice for Seth’s murder, I hope these events can encourage others to pause and consider the impact of accusing strangers on strangers, giving space to law enforcement to do their job and remember Seth in peace and privacy. “

Fox News settles a lawsuit with Seth Rich's family
In November last year, Fox News agreed to an independent lawsuit with Seth Rich’s parents, who had sued the network to develop what the lawsuit called a “false” story about the death of their son that caused them. ” mental distress and emotional distress, emotional pain and suffering and any other physical and mental injury ”.

Seth Rich was shot dead in Washington, DC, in July 2016. Police said evidence indicates he was the victim of a disturbed robbery, but as a result of his death, far-right activists and media organizations they suggested something much more sinister.

Without real evidence, these far-right activists transmitted a conspiracy theory claiming that Seth Rich leaked a large number of DNC emails to Wikileaks and was killed in retaliation for the alleged leak. The theory was convenient for some on the right, as it discussed allegations that Russia hacked against DNC, something President Donald Trump had discussed.

But the 2019 report by former Special Adviser Robert Mueller, which investigated Russia’s involvement in the 2016 elections, discredited the whole conspiracy theory. This report noted that WikiLeaks was communicating with Russian military intelligence officers about the stolen DNC documents before and after Rich’s death.

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