Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Conspiracy Theorists File For Seth Rich Murder Records

After a surge in conspiracy theories about the murder last summer of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, a legal investigative unit led by conspiracy theorist Jack Burkman is filing a freedom of information request to see police records connected to the death.

The Profiling Project, headed by the D.C.-based lobbyist and staffed with some George Washington University law students, is requesting access to surveillance video taken near the shooting, the medical examiner’s report on Rich’s autopsy and the police department’s ballistics report.

Burkman has spread the idea that Rich was murdered as part of a Russian coverup over interference in the American presidential election – charges of a similar nature have been given primetime play by Fox News host Sean Hannity.

He has also offered a $105,000 reward for information leading to the solving of the murder, and planned to stage a reenactment of the killing against the wishes of the Rich family, which briefly collaborated with him.

Rich’s parents have said they still have faith in the D.C. police department’s investigation into the death, which remains unsolved. “The family remains completely confident in the Metropolitan Police Department’s handling of the case,” a spokesman for the family told the Washington Post.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.