WSJ reporter: No one will tell me how GOP source who tried to get Hillarys emails from Russia died
Source: Raw Story
Shane Harris, the Wall Street Journal reporter who broke the bombshell story about Republican operative Peter Smith trying to obtain Hillary Clintons deleted emails from Russian hackers, made a startling revelation on Morning Joe Friday morning.
During the interview, Harris explained that Smith reached out to him to tell him his story shortly before he passed away on May 14 at the age of 81. MSNBCs Elise Jordan then noted that Harris never mentioned Smiths cause of death in his story about his role in trying to retrieve Clintons deleted State Department emails from Russian state hackers.
How did Mr. Smith die? she asked him.
Its a great question, and I should say we do not know how he died, he said. We made multiple attempts, both with family members and with associates of his, as well as government officials in the town where he lived, to try and determine his cause of death, and we were unsuccessful.
Harris did note that Smith was 81 years old, and he had seen no evidence of any kind of foul play involved in his death.
Smiths obituary, which appeared in the Chicago Tribune last month, similarly never mentioned the cause of his death.
Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/wsj-reporter-no-one-will-tell-me-how-gop-source-who-tried-to-get-hillarys-emails-from-russia-died/
The man who knew too much?
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)...and pass away in your 90s, the death certificate always lists a cause of death, be it cancer, stroke, heart failure, respiratory failure, or whatever.
Furthermore, death certificates are public records. There should be no reason for a "cone of silence" of this sort.
Not Ruth
(3,613 posts)Do most people believe that the main cause of Carrie Fisher's death was sleep apnea or that OJ is not a murderer?
Neither a death certificate or a verdict need be accepted as accurate.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)In what state did he die?
Illinois:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/deaths/Pages/default.htm
Death records are not public records and are only available to those who have a personal or property right interest (property right is defined as something that it is owned, tangible such as a car title or a property deed) with the decedent. If you are not a relative of the deceased person, a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate must accompany the request.
HAB911
(8,912 posts)my brother just passed. As executor, it was my obligation to purchase as many as I thought would be needed. My options were "with or without cause". My attorney instructed me to use a "without cause" copy to be filed with the court for probate because it then became a public record.
don't know how it works in other states
hlthe2b
(102,358 posts)Strange, though, that a cause of death can't be identified, given the weight of reporting resources from WSJ.
UCmeNdc
(9,600 posts)Surely that is a public record.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)He was 81.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)You know?
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Apparently he lived in Chicago...
http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/deaths/Pages/default.htm
Death records are not public records and are only available to those who have a personal or property right interest (property right is defined as something that it is owned, tangible such as a car title or a property deed) with the decedent. If you are not a relative of the deceased person, a letter or document from the office or agency that needs the death certificate must accompany the request.
FakeNoose
(32,748 posts)It's not a matter of public record unless the family makes it public (by another means.)
I believe this is true in most states, or maybe all of them.
Sneederbunk
(14,300 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)And there's an obituary.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)It's not exactly a mystery.
pnwmom
(108,994 posts)And a Russia-style poisoning would be even easier with an older person than a younger.
I automatically assumed it was age-related, till his family clammed up and wouldn't speak to the same reporter he had volunteered an interview with. Now I'm wondering.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)When we reach our first conclusion, all other possibilities are then denied... humans not being as rational as we pretend (which is not a mystery as well).
oberliner
(58,724 posts)That is definitely something to keep in mind.
brush
(53,849 posts)Now trump's apparent indebtedness to Putin has bought these mysterious deaths to our shores.
And this guy was an American, not a Russian.
Russia is taking over a radio station in DC also.
We've become a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia.
Expect other deaths. That's how Putin rolls.
sheshe2
(83,898 posts)We have thanks to *Rump and his ilk.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)It's not unheard of for 81 year old people to die. But it is typically not public information how most people die.
bagelsforbreakfast
(1,427 posts)MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)Made me laugh...
Kathy M
(1,242 posts)"There is no evidence that Clintons private email server was ever hacked, despite Smiths attempts to find and publicize emails stolen from it. Smiths reported pursuit of these emails may have been a fools errand ― much like his conspiratorial pursuits in the 1990s. "
"Smith had long been part of the vast right-wing conspiracy through his work as a fundraiser for the conservative Heritage Foundation and as the chief fundraiser for Newt Gingrichs political action committee in the 1980s and 1990s.
Beginning in 1992, Smith funded various research projects to publicize negative stories about President Bill Clinton. He paid Arkansas state troopers, allegedly to help with their finances in case they were retaliated against, and helped publicize the troopers claims that Clinton forced troopers to arrange his trysts with women and hide those relationships from his wife. Smith introduced these troopers to David Brock, then a conservative reporter with The American Spectator, who penned an article based on their statements. Brock later became an ardent Clinton defender and apologized for the article, claiming that the payments Smith made to the troopers tainted their version of events. Smith also paid Brock $5,000 for another research project that never came to fruition.
Brocks article was, however, the first to introduce a woman named Paula ― that is, Paula Jones ― to a national audience. Jones lawsuit against the president over sexual harassment ultimately led to his testimony regarding Monica Lewinsky, "
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/peter-smith-anti-clinton-conspiracies_us_59558460e4b05c37bb7d2dff
Are all these russia stories true ?
.99center
(1,237 posts)It's all a massive conspiracy by David Brook and Hillary.
emulatorloo
(44,182 posts)Peter Smith was a proud GOP operative until his last breath.
So
1. A ridiculously implausible conspiracy story
2. Of course the Russia stories are true, despite what the alt-right and Trump-loving BOBs might say say in the turbulent bowels of Reddit
Have a great holiday!
Kathy M
(1,242 posts)No matter how you slice it Brock is one of those operatives that should be out of politics .
1 I never mentioned conspiracy story , never read that before . I only showed there was a connection
2 Instead of believing the innuendos on Russia I would like to hear the actual charges and what authorities have to say . Just because there is a claim of wrong doing does not make it reality .
Have a great holiday
One dead body plus nine Russians. The right ragged for twenty years about Bill and Hillary's dead body list so guess what? Trump is up to ten in my book and that's how we should rag it. He had the money, connections, and power to solve his hacking problem and no one is pointing the finger his way.
We spent twenty years answering to the right, let them answer now.
calimary
(81,466 posts)His activities before getting into politics were evidently - um - shall we say - a little "colorful"?
You really get a clear idea of how he did business as a real estate wheeler-dealer, 'eh?
calimary
(81,466 posts)Oh he DIED? What? Within days of having talked to this reporter?
How'd he die? I'm surprised nobody asked that when I was watching the coverage of it. Doesn't it seem fishy that he talks, and then shortly after he talks, he dies. Yeah, he was 81. But people live longer than that. Even sick as dogs, my dad lived to age 83, and my mom lasted till 90.
Just seems a little bit too much of a coincidence to me.
deurbano
(2,895 posts)On the other hand, it's impossible to rule ANYthing out with these revolting degenerates... and assuming any of them could locate even a shred of a principle, deathbed or not, is probably being way too generous.
calimary
(81,466 posts)Because if he were terminally ill and knew he just had a few weeks left, and his conscience started to bother him, maybe he would reach out like this.
Consider, too, that this fellow spent a lifetime involved in sneaking around, oppositional research, dirty tricks, initiating (or trying to initiate) some underhanded strategies and tactics. A lifetime! At the highest levels, evidently. Maybe his conscience was starting to bother him? While perhaps starting to feel the cold breath of the Grim Reaper getting closer?
Atwater did it, definitely. Knew his cancer was taking him down for the last time, and called Michael Dukakis to his deathbed to offer an apology, in an attempt to clean up a little before headin' on out.
I suppose anything's possible. But then again, I still feel Ken Lay's untimely death was a little fishy in its own timeliness. He was about to face real-life prison time. And BOOM! Out he goes. Gee... that's a pretty convenient "saved by the bell." But he's never turned up in all this time since - at least that we know of.
sinkingfeeling
(51,473 posts)by 45.
tblue37
(65,487 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Let's pretend we're rational and refrain from automatically discounting additional possibilities simply because the mere pretense of cleverness is the priority.
Botany
(70,581 posts)... the window of his Moscow flat.
radical noodle
(8,013 posts)to the list of Clinton killings.
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)sandensea
(21,664 posts)Yes: he was 81, and as another poster mentioned, Illinois does not make death certificates public unless the survivors consent (something the media should have a right to appeal in this case, I think - seeing as it happened JUST AFTER he began to talk).
Of course, his family would probably be the first to try to put any suspicions of foul play to rest IF they truly believed his death was natural. Their silence - and refusal to reveal cause and manner of death - seems pretty eloquent.
And as always: cui bono - who benefits?
sandensea
(21,664 posts)Thank you, Judi, for your thoughtful and very informative reply to the Argentine 'Hood Robin' story in the Latin America page.
I'm glad you liked the photo of the cyclists. I had googled photos of bicycles in Buenos Aires, to tie in with the 'financial bicycle' described in the article. It seemed perfect - given that they're riding through the financial district.
When I read your description of the Cochabamba water war, the first thing I thought of was that very traditional Bolivian family in the left of the photo; very observant of you as always!
There are around a million Bolivians in Argentina, and I believe they're currently the second-largest immigrant community there (just behind Paraguayans). Like many Mexicans and Central Americans here in the U.S., they usually take the jobs few others want - and are the constant lightning rod for right-wing hatred (the same people who employ them to save money!).
And sure enough, it looks like the 'Argentine Trump' isn't doing any better than the American Trump is (except at least Trump is actually funny from time to time).
Ciao!
Midnight Writer
(21,795 posts)C'mon. He "reached out" to a reporter, gave him a bombshell story, died ten days later, cause of death mysterious.
Sounds like an obvious fabrication to me.
meadowlander
(4,402 posts)harun
(11,348 posts)MontanaMama
(23,337 posts)but...it is a little fishy that he met with a WSJ reporter and then tipped over shortly thereafter. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that Michael Flynn is still on the planet. Don't get me wrong...I don't wish ill on anyone...just saying. There are players in this drama that are playing for keeps.
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)And the reporter certainly seems to suspect that something other than a death of natural causes happened to him.
oxbow
(2,034 posts)He accused the election of being rigged, and now we know they tried to rig in 39 states.
They accused the DNC of killing Seth Rich, and now a GOP intermediary to Russia dies shortly after talking to a reporter.
What gives?
sandensea
(21,664 posts)"If Republicans will stop telling telling lies about us, we'll stop telling the truth about them."
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Or when he said the elections were rigged? It's called projection.
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)It's standard if a person is well, then dies, the obituary will usually use the word "unexpected" (suicide, overdose, accident, violence, etc) somewhere in the beginning. Otherwise, you can pretty safely assume the deceased and his/her family wasn't surprised by the death and it was from natural causes.
Often, but not always, you can get a clue into cause of death by what charities or organizations the family requests donations to, such as American Cancer Society, etc., in lieu of flowers. But here, it's only donate to "favorite charity".
IMHO, Smith reached out to the WSJ because he knew he didn't have long to live and he wanted his role known. He was proud of his work and wanted people to know what he did.
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)one is compelled to be suspicious.
Bayard
(22,149 posts)His face probably met concrete from high altitude. Or he was poisoned.