Fox News host Sean Hannity has continued to promote a discredited conspiracy theory surrounding the murder of Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich, despite the network's attempts to distance itself from the false claims. The theory, which has been widely debunked, suggests that Rich was the source of DNC emails leaked to WikiLeaks and was killed because of it, with the aim of undermining the narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
Hannity has faced backlash from the family of Seth Rich, who have pleaded for an end to the speculation. The conspiracy has also led to a threatened advertising boycott. In response, Fox News removed its own reporting on the theory from its website, stating it had not met editorial standards. However, Hannity has not retracted his statements.
During his show on Tuesday, Hannity said he would not discuss the matter for now out of respect for the Rich family's wishes. Yet hours later, he tweeted: 'Ok TO BE CLEAR, I am closer to the TRUTH than ever. Not only am I not stopping, I am working harder. Updates when available. Stay tuned!' This has further fuelled criticism that he is persisting with the baseless narrative.
The conspiracy theory gained traction among some right-wing figures as a means to counter claims of Trump campaign collusion with Russia, which Hannity has consistently defended. Without providing evidence, he has implied that if Rich was the WikiLeaks source, it would negate the Russia collusion allegations. Police, however, maintain that Rich's 2016 murder was the result of a botched robbery.
