BOMBSHELL: Seth Rich sent 44,053 DNC emails to WikiLeaks; Update: NBC News: Family, FBI sources, police discount story; Update 2: Fox New retracts story

Update 2 — May 23, 2017. Fox News has retracted its report mentioned in this post:

Fox News has just retracted its story on the Seth Rich conspiracy theory. Will Hannity follow? https://t.co/JBEFcjUOWe pic.twitter.com/9zXtjyMPft

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 23, 2017

Original:

Fox News is reporting this morning that a federal investigator who reviewed murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich’s computer after his death found evidence that he had been communicating with WikiLeaks:

https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/864445380762664961

Money quote:

The federal investigator, who requested anonymity, said 44,053 emails and 17,761 attachments between Democratic National Committee leaders, spanning from January 2015 through late May 2016, were transferred from Rich to MacFadyen before May 21.

On July 22, just 12 days after Rich was killed, WikiLeaks published internal DNC emails that appeared to show top party officials conspired to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont from becoming the party’s presidential nominee. That controversy resulted in Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigning as DNC chairperson. A number of Sanders supporters refused to back party nominee Hillary Clinton, and some subsequently formed groups to work against Clinton and the party.

Whoa.

This anonymous source quoted by Fox News above confirms the account of the private investigator hired by Rich’s family:

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Grateful Calvin

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Private investigator claims slain DNC staffer Seth Rich had contact with Wikileaks https://t.co/VAZKMMjOvT

— FOX26 News (@KMPHFOX26) May 16, 2017

The investigator, Rod Wheeler, is a former D.C. homicide detective. Wheeler said in an interview last night that cops were told to “stand down”:

Wheeler told WTTG his source said DC police investigators were told to “stand down” and back off from looking further into Rich’s death.

***

Update:

NBC News’ report suggests FNC’s earlier report isn’t accurate:

https://twitter.com/aseitzwald/status/864594316085297152

Oh dear.

https://twitter.com/Thomasismyuncle/status/864614089619800064

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.