The FBI is requesting another extension to release information from Seth Rich’s computer, despite a federal court’s second order to provide materials to Brian Huddleston, a Texas resident who filed a lawsuit against the bureau.
Reported by The Epoch Times on Saturday, January 13, 2024, Huddleston contends that the FBI should share the information before the upcoming presidential election. He believes it could unveil whether Seth Rich, rather than Russians, leaked emails from Democrats to Wikileaks.
The FBI intends to argue for withholding specific records, citing exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Following the court’s order in November 2023, the FBI submitted a request on January 11, seeking U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant to consider additional arguments against releasing the requested records.
The court mandated the FBI to furnish images of Seth Rich’s personal computer and an index of his work computer, among other materials. Judge Mazzant, ruling in favor of Huddleston for the second time, stated that the FBI hadn’t demonstrated that the materials could be withheld under FOIA exceptions.
The recent court order didn’t specify a timeline for production, and Judge Mazzant directed the parties to propose timelines. Huddleston’s attorney, Ty Clevenger, urged the judge to reject the FBI’s request for a production delay, especially with the upcoming presidential election in November 2024. Clevenger stressed the significance of voters knowing if the FBI framed a frontrunner, like former President Trump, and if there’s an attempt to conceal partisan political activities.
Clevenger expressed concern, stating, “It is bad enough that FBI personnel took opposition research from the Hillary Clinton campaign and used it to open a bad-faith investigation of Mr. Trump, thereby sabotaging him for more than two years. It would be considerably worse and considerably more scandalous, however, if FBI personnel knew all along that Seth Rich—not Russian hackers—was responsible for leaking DNC emails to Wikileaks.”
While the FBI and the Department of Justice assert that Russians hacked the DNC and shared files with Wikileaks, there is some evidence challenging this narrative..
Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has suggested that Seth Rich was the source of the leaked emails.
Rich’s unsolved murder in Washington in 2016 raised suspicions, and files released in 2021 indicated the possibility that someone may have paid for his killing.
Washington police shared images of Rich’s personal computer with the FBI, and a third party provided the bureau with Rich’s work computer and a forensic report of the machine.
Huddleston’s attorney requested the FBI be directed to produce the documents at least 120 days before the election, allowing ample time for the court to rule on redactions and withholdings before voters go to the polls.
