On a pivotal Monday night, Texas attorney Ty Clevenger unveiled the latest developments in the ongoing legal battle for transparency in the Seth Rich investigation. The determined attorney shared online the responses he’s received pertaining to the withheld files related to Rich.
I just received the Vaughn indexes for Seth Rich’s personal and work laptops. Downloads may be slow because of limited bandwidth, but I’m distributing to other sources. I have not reviewed the files yet. More comments later.
— Ty Clevenger (@Ty_Clevenger)
March 11, 2025
Clevenger, a fierce advocate for government transparency, has been pressing the FBI for years to release these critical documents. Despite the court’s orders, the FBI has resisted handing over Seth Rich’s laptops, at one point claiming it would take 66 years to disclose all files.
The quest to uncover the truth behind Seth Rich’s 2016 murder has left many questioning the FBI’s intentions. What are they protecting?
The “Vaughn Indexes,” related to Rich’s personal and work laptops, are finally in public view. These indexes outline the files the government refuses to release and the reasons for withholding them. Many documents are held back under Exemption 7(A), implying “potential interference with ongoing investigations if disclosed.” This raises eyebrows, as the FBI previously stated that local law enforcement alone was handling the Rich murder case.
- The Vaughn Index for Seth Rich’s personal laptop can be accessed here.
- The Vaughn Index for the work laptop is available here.
Seth Rich, a 27-year-old DNC staffer, was tragically shot in Washington, D.C., on July 10, 2016. Despite being called a botched robbery, his belongings were left untouched. His death quickly became a matter of national intrigue, especially with possible links to the 2016 DNC email leak published by WikiLeaks.
Many have speculated about Rich’s potential involvement in leaking the DNC emails. Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, has hinted but never confirmed that Rich was the source. Meanwhile, Kim Dotcom claims to have personal knowledge of Rich’s leak to Assange.
The DNC emails, released by WikiLeaks in July 2016, revealed internal favoritism towards Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders, provoking the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and stirring allegations of a rigged primary. The leak exposed media collusion with the DNC and revealed attempts to manipulate public perception against Sanders, damaging the DNC’s credibility and widening party divides. This leak was separate from the Podesta emails released in October 2016, which sparked the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.
Despite unproven claims, the U.S. government has consistently pointed fingers at the Russian government for the DNC email breach.
The FBI’s handling of Rich’s laptops has fueled controversy, especially after they initially denied possessing them, only to later admit in court to having thousands of related documents. The bureau’s previous stance, claiming no involvement in Rich’s murder investigation, was undermined during a 2020 FOIA lawsuit, revealing they had Rich’s laptops and emails. This contradiction sparked further suspicions about why the FBI concealed these materials.
Clevenger also shared insights from Yaacov Apelbaum of XRVision, who provided an analysis of the Vaughn Indexes. Apelbaum’s report can be accessed here.
Apelbaum’s analysis highlights troubling patterns in the government’s refusal to release Rich’s files, such as frequent redaction of names and contact information, and withholding of communication logs. Additionally, technical observations indicate possible deliberate obfuscation of data by the FBI.
The analysis suggests that the redacted documents could hold key information related to communication networks, financial transactions, and political affiliations.
Public reactions have criticized the FBI’s extreme claims of privilege, including the bizarre notion that a college poem by Rich could interfere with ongoing investigations.
How about commenting on why a poem from 2006 on his computer when he was 17 could be labeled by the FBI as “reasonably interfering with an ongoing investigation” while they continue to proclaim it was just a botched robbery.
— Mccabes Porsche on Blocks (@Larry_Beech)
March 11, 2025
The Vaughn Index, central to FOIA litigation, justifies the withholding of documents, forcing government agencies to detail each redaction or withheld document’s specifics. It ensures that citizens, journalists, and researchers can challenge and scrutinize government secrecy, standing tall for the public’s right to information.
