This headline is propaganda, and isn't reflected in the content of the story (which quotes lawyers saying the document "fuel[ed]" the theory.)
The Seth Rich as the DNC leaker "conspiracy" theory was set off by the fact that there was a DNC data leak large enough that some people think that it couldn't have been remote without being detected, so they think it was by an insider. Also, Seth Rich, a DNC IT guy was randomly murdered in an unsolved case.
Nothing else. There was no evidence, just a suspicious coincidence. It is a theory with no evidence supporting it other than that coincidence, not a refuted or a false theory.
This is a person who fabricated a document supporting the theory, not the person who set it off.
> It is a theory with no evidence supporting it other than that coincidence, not a refuted or a false theory.
Key elements of it were false, though. The conspiracy theory largely focused on his “assassination” by being shot in the head, when in reality he was shot twice in the back. There was also physical evidence of an altercation, suggesting robbery. The idea that a trained assassin would first try to fistfight the target and then shoot is pretty absurd.
Later, the public found out that hackers tied to Russian intelligence hacked the DNC, which further refuted the conspiracy theory. There’s a lot out there that fundamentally contradicts the conspiracy theory.
No it wasn't at all! What makes you think that? If you have read that somewhere you should be very careful with that source in the future because it is telling you the wrong things.
Here's the Republican-led senate report from September confirming exactly that the Russian intelligence hacked the DNC:
"The committee found that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian effort to hack computer networks and accounts affiliated with the Democratic Party and leak information damaging to Hillary Clinton and her campaign for president" etc.
See page 174 onwards for details of what the GRU did and how they were traced.
The earlier Mueller report finds the same thing of course.
"Beginning in March 2016, units of the Russian Federation’s MainIntelligence Directorateof the General Staff (GRU) hacked thecomputers and email accounts of organizations, employees, and volunteers supporting the Clinton Campaign, including the email account of campaign chairman John Podesta." - see page 36, https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/docu...
The Seth Rich as the DNC leaker "conspiracy" theory was set off by the fact that there was a DNC data leak large enough that some people think that it couldn't have been remote without being detected, so they think it was by an insider. Also, Seth Rich, a DNC IT guy was randomly murdered in an unsolved case.
Nothing else. There was no evidence, just a suspicious coincidence. It is a theory with no evidence supporting it other than that coincidence, not a refuted or a false theory.
This is a person who fabricated a document supporting the theory, not the person who set it off.
Other outlets have generally been more careful.