Trump allies, WikiLeaks and Russia are pushing a nonsensical conspiracy theory about the DNC hacks

By Josh Rogin August 12 at 11:46 AM

Trump campaign surrogates are fueling a conspiracy theory that a murdered Democratic National Committee staffer was connected to the hacking of the DNC, a theory being pushed by WikiLeaks and the Russian state-controlled press. There’s a big problem, however, with the theory: it doesn’t make any sense when compared to all the available evidence.

Trump allies, Assange, and the Russian government are somewhat unlikely cohorts but they all have two things in common – hatred of Hillary Clinton and an interest in diverting suspicion away from the real culprits in the DNC hack, Russian intelligence services seeking to interfere in the U.S. election to Trump’s benefit.

Donald Trump’s longtime friend Roger Stone has been at the forefront of the Trump camp effort to try to connect the Russian hacking of the DNC to the tragic death of 27-year old Seth Rich, a DNC staffer who was shot and killed in early July in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington. Stone says his claims are based on statements by Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who released the hacked DNC emails and is threatening to release more. Stone also claims to be in direct contact with Assange.

On Thursday, Trump ally Newt Gingrich also endorsed the Assange conspiracy theory that Rich’s death was somehow connected to the DNC hack.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/08/12/trump-allies-wikileaks-and-russia-are-pushing-a-nonsensical-conspiracy-theory-about-the-dnc-hacks/