Seth Rich

Seth Rich’s family has released a statement this morning on the one-year anniversary of the young Democratic National Staffer’s death, thanking supporters and condemning the politicization of his murder. Meanwhile, several rallies and vigils are planned in D.C. today, none of which are supported by Seth’s family, who say they want to mourn privately.

“On the anniversary of the passing of our son and brother, we are again feeling the deep loss of this senseless act,” Rich’s parents and brother say in a statement released this morning. “We want to take a moment and thank those who have helped preserve Seth’s legacy by contributing time, energy and resources towards a scholarship fund in his name.”

The 27-year-old was fatally shot in the back while walking home in Bloomingdale around 4:20 a.m. Amid a string of other gun incidents in the area, his family believes it was a botched robbery. But in the absence of an arrest, his murder captured the imagination of political opportunists, unscrupulous journalists, and conspiracy theorists.

Most of today’s memorial events appear to be organized by people who believe that Rich was murdered by Hillary Clinton cronies because he sent DNC documents to Wikileaks—a claim for which there is no evidence.

One such organizing group, The Political Revolutionary Warriors for Bernie Sanders, say Seth “was murdered for his knowledge and involvement in the DNC and the Guccifer 2.0 WikiLeaks.” Another event says it is nonpartisan and aims to gather all the rallies “in solidarity,” but they are still seeking “exposure of the truth” related to “alleged DNC files that were provided to Wikileaks by Seth.”

Rich’s family has said that the onslaught of people claiming they want to expose the so-called truth about the death of their son is deeply “hurtful.” This morning they gave updates on the various scholarships created in Seth’s name, and again asked that people stop peddling false claims about his death.

“We are compelled to address those who are claiming to help by undertaking private “investigations”, staging reenactments, or traveling to Seth’s old neighborhood to perform citizen interviews,” the statement reads. “And while we recognize the futility of this request, we make it anyway: please cease using Seth as a political football in predetermined partisan narratives.”

The family’s full statement is as follows:

“On the anniversary of the passing of our son and brother, we are again feeling the deep loss of this senseless act. We want to take a moment and thank those who have helped preserve Seth’s legacy by contributing time, energy and resources towards a scholarship fund in his name that will enable children from across the country to enjoy his beloved Camp Ramah. The many words of support from around the country and the world have been very comforting to us during this difficult year. We are hopeful that folks take the lessons of Seth’s life and the values that guided him to heartPublic service, civic participation, democracy and working together to enrich each others’ lives.

In addition to the first-time camper who will be enjoying Camp Ramah in Wisconsin as the first recipient of the Seth Conrad Rich Memorial Scholarship Endowment, Creighton University will award a scholarship to a student for the upcoming school year. This scholarship will come from the Seth Rich Scholarship Endowment. The criteria for awarding the scholarship will be for “applicants who embody qualities of involvement, leadership, service, and the determination to make a positive difference in the world.” The Nebraska Society of DC has set up a fund in Seth’s name and will be using that fund to provide financial assistance to an intern from Nebraska who will be serving our country in Washington, DC, this year. Thanks to the donations to the Seth Rich Memorial Camp Scholarship fund at Beth El Synagogue’s annual Cantor’s Concert, more than twenty campers will receive assistance in going to Jewish camps. These “service grants” will be repaid by the recipients by service to the synagogue during the year. All of this is to say that despite so much that our family has gone through this year, that Seth’s legacy of public service, his determination to make the world a better place and his genuine desire to foster engagement among Americans of all ages persists, and it serves as a comfort to our family at a dark time.

The family would also like to thank the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, for their ongoing investigation of the murder of Seth. While we are saddened that the crime has not been solved yet, we were aware early on, this was going to be a difficult case to solve. We are grateful for the ongoing communication from the MPD, and hopeful that their continued efforts will allow the case to be solved and justice to be delivered.

Finally, we are compelled to address those who are claiming to help by undertaking private “investigations”, staging reenactments, or traveling to Seth’s old neighborhood to perform citizen interviews. Our request is that anyone with information about Seth’s murder share such information with MPD, which is the law enforcement agency authorized by law to perform this investigation. And while we recognize the futility of this request, we make it anyway: please cease using Seth as a political football in predetermined partisan narratives.

The continual push of false and inaccurate information about Seth’s death, along with the harassment of Seth’s friends, family and co-workers, hurts those who were closest to Seth, and does nothing to bring justice to his killers. Those who still live in Seth’s neighborhood are owed the peace of mind that comes with finding those responsible for this heinous crime, and we deserve that no less.”

Mary Rich Joel Rich Aaron Rich