Seth Rich conspiracy theorists back off and apologize for false statements while settling lawsuit

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“I take full responsibility for my comments and apologize for the pain I have caused,” said businessman Ed Butowsky in a statement retracting his previous comments. “I sincerely hope the Rich family will find out who killed their son and that this tragic chapter in their lives will come to an end.”

“Today, we are withdrawing and rejecting our statements and apologizing to Mr. Rich and his family,” said fringe internet activist, Matt Couch, in a separate video posted online. “I take full responsibility for my actions … and would like to apologize to Mr. Rich and his family.”

The withdrawals came as part of a settlement that Aaron Rich, Seth Rich’s brother, reached with Butowsky and Couch over a lawsuit he filed against them in March 2018. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed. The Washington Times, a conservative news channel that was also indicted, also withdrew its claims and settled with Aaron Rich in October 2018.

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

“In the more than four years since we lost Seth, the charges against our family have only served to lengthen our grief, without moving us closer to finding Seth’s killer,” Aaron Rich added. “ While we will never have peace until we obtain justice for Seth’s murder, I hope these events will encourage others to pause and reflect on the impact of accusing strangers of misconduct, giving law enforcement space. to do their job, and let’s remember Seth in peace and privacy. “

Fox News settles a lawsuit with Seth Rich's family
In November last year, Fox News settled a separate lawsuit with Seth Rich’s parents, who had sued the network for developing what the suit called a ‘sham’ about their son’s death calling them ‘mental anguish and emotional distress, emotional distress. caused pain. and suffering, and any other physical and mental harm. “

Seth Rich was shot dead in Washington, DC in July 2016. Police say he was the victim of a botched robbery, but in the aftermath of his death, far-right activists and media organizations suggested something far more sinister.

With no real evidence, these far-right activists carried out a conspiracy theory that stated that Seth Rich leaked a wealth of DNC emails to Wikileaks and was murdered in retaliation for the alleged leak. The theory came in handy for some on the right, as they challenged allegations that Russia had hacked the DNC, something President Donald Trump had disputed.

But the 2019 report by former special counsel Robert Mueller, who was investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, discredited the whole conspiracy theory. That report stated that WikiLeaks communicated with Russian military intelligence officers about the stolen DNC documents before and after Rich’s death.

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