Peter W. Smith, GOP operative who sought Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, committed suicide...

[DonViejo]

Source: Chicago Tribune




Peter W. Smith, GOP operative who sought Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, committed suicide, records show


By Katherine Skiba, David Heinzmann and Todd Lighty

July 13, 2017 5:34 p.m.

A Republican donor and operative from Chicago's North Shore who said he had tried to obtain Hillary Clinton's missing emails from Russian hackers killed himself in a Minnesota hotel room days after talking to The Wall Street Journal about his efforts, public records show.

In a room at a Rochester hotel used almost exclusively by Mayo Clinic patients and relatives, Peter W. Smith, 81, left a carefully prepared file of documents, which includes a statement police called a suicide note in which he said he was in ill health and a life insurance policy was expiring.

Days earlier, the financier from suburban Lake Forest gave an interview to the Journal about his quest, and it published stories about his efforts beginning in late June. The Journal also reported it had seen emails written by Smith showing his team considered retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, then a top adviser to Republican Donald Trump's campaign, as an ally. Flynn briefly was President Trump's national security adviser and resigned after it was determined he had failed to disclose contacts with Russia.

At the time, the newspaper reported Smith's May 14 death came about 10 days after he granted the interview. Mystery shrouded how and where he had died, but the lead reporter on the stories said on a podcast he had no reason to believe the death was the result of foul play and that Smith likely had died of natural causes.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-peter-smith-death-met-0713-20170713-story.html

[pnwmom]

1. Or so they say. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. You don't get life insurance for suicide, do you?

He was a businessman, surely he knew that.

[pnwmom]

7. There's usually a 2 year waiting period. So if he's had the policy longer than that, suicide

would be covered.

I would still be suspicious in his case, however.

There are a number of ways this could have happened. Someone else could have forged the note. Or someone could have forced him to write it.

[mtngirl47]

10. Most policies pay for suicide after a specified period of time--usually 2 years.

Discourages those who want to buy a policy and then commit suicide right away.

[Midnight Writer]

44. Wouldn't the fact that his note said that he was deliberately killing himself for the insurance

give the insurer a pretty bow tied "out"?

[SergeStorms]

15. Usually not.

As a matter of fact, I can't remember there being ANY case in which an insurance company had to pay the beneficiary because of suicide. Maybe someone else can point out an instance where that hasn't been the case. Everyone who has money problems (and that's a LOT of people these days) would be jumping off high buildings if that was the case.

[WoonTars]

27. Two year waiting period usually...

...

[Justice]

49. He said policy expiring - meaning if he didn't die before expiration, there was no $$/policy

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. Not likely, he was murdered.

[mpcamb]

35. Agreed.

Ruthless people when cornered do ruthless things.

[Dopers_Greed]

3. Better run a test for polonium

He had probably become a problem for Putie.

[flibbitygiblets]

6. My exact thought as well.

Remember in the movie "JFK" when Joe Pesci's character supposedly committed suicide (after he talked but before he could testify), and they found several suicide notes, (one of which was written in flowery language even though the guy was actually a total pottymouth)?

[revmclaren]

4. Suicide....

[JusticeForAll]

8. Life insurance policy expiring...

Well, suicide is usually one of those policy exclusions that prevents a payout....sounds like this scenario wasn't thought through by him or others...

[pnwmom]

11. Usually there is a 2 year waiting period and then suicide is covered. But the note could have been

forged or someone could have forced him to write it.

[JusticeForAll]

48. I did not know that!

Thanks, pnwmom!

[jpak]

9. Hillary!

[bullwinkle428]

14. DAMN YOU! Wanted to be the first to that punchline.

[jpak]

16. Snooze

Lose

[flibbitygiblets]

18. LOL

[Sunlei]

12. what kind of timing is this? & how can a reporter say-'Smith likely had died of natural causes"

They drop like flies those associated with Russians and Republican Party Campaign,

and the "list of Generals" _'someone'_ gave trump to pick his Admin from.

[Voltaire2]

21. hmmm yeah wtf? natural causes and suicide do not compute.

[dixiegrrrrl]

50. Did you see that a reporter digging to Trump died the same day?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029324632

[Botany]

13. The ghost of Ray Lemme

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2005/4/17/107305/-

[TrollBuster9090]

25. *Looks around* "Do You Tink Jarod Tells His Wife EVERY-TING?"

[Ligyron]

17. Get ready for the RW CT's for sure.

[sandensea]

19. Sure. The "assisted" kind.

Reminds me of Gary Webb's "two gunshot" suicide.

[Voltaire2]

20. well that is massively convenient.

[Leghorn21]

22. Hmm - this story broke two weeks ago...wonder why his real cause of death is just now

being revealed...

[TrollBuster9090]

23. "Russian Suicide?"

Like 'jumping' out of a window, or eating domoic acid flavored borscht?

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Oh my.

[Achilleaze]

26. Follow the trail of dead bodies

[barbtries]

28. i don't doubt that he killed himself.

unless more bodies fall it makes sense to me for this guy. he was fairly old, he was apparently unwell (which could be why the reporter said his death was most likely natural causes), and he had devoted a fair amount of his life trying to destroy the Clintons without success.

suicide certainly seems plausible to me.

[Botany]

40. "unless more bodies fall it ....."

Have you been paying attention? Because lots of people have turned up
dead, missing, in jail,or falling out of a 4 story window as he was working
on his bath tub ..... we are dealing w/the Russian mob here.

I might be wrong but I think some of the dead Russians were working
for America and Flynn and others gave them up.

[barbtries]

42. yes i have been paying attention

it is my opinion in this case that the man killed himself as has been reported. if not hopefully it will be discovered and reported upon.

i understand very well that putin is a murderous bastard and since my theory of trump is that he aspires to be putin it would not surprise me if he would go so far as murder. i just don't see it being the case here.

[progressoid]

46. Agreed. n/t

[freddyvh]

29. so

sean hannity will be all over this blaming trump right?

[BigmanPigman]

33. No, they'll say Obama or Hillary did it.

[KPN]

30. Suicide my ass. eom

[magicarpet]

32. What ?

Mr. Smith put the gun to his head and fired off five hollow-point bullets. He had five bullet holes in his right temple.

Of course it was suicide.

[BigmanPigman]

36. He used helium tanks which is detailed in The Final Exit book.

It says so in the article. I have a read the book myself and this is a very common and well known practice . I know a few people who were/are going to die over the years and and shared their info with me a long time ago.

[TheDebbieDee]

31. Is it possible that the Dems could turn this guy into the republicans' Seth Rich?

Dems need to be willing to get in the game SOMETIMES if they want a chance to win! With all due respect to Mrs Obama, "Staying HIGH" all the time makes you seem like spineless losers...

[workinclasszero]

34. Fake news... Did he have some help committing 'suicide'?

This is probably the Fox "news" version.

[angrychair]

37. You mean the kind

In which they find find you a mile into the woods with your wrist cut (with knife with no finger prints) and a belly full of pills (more than are found in your system)?

This seems as unlikely.

[BigmanPigman]

38. Rachel is covering this now, tonight.

[dawnie51]

39. I call bullshit.......

this old boy had been operating Rethug dirty tricks for forty years, with zeal. All of a sudden, after this "magnificent victory" is commits suicide? Nyet.

[EMAN51]

41. Hannity is on it

That bulldog won't quit until he proves Smith was whacked to shut him up.

[TomCADem]

43. One Minute He Is Bragging To The WSJ reporter, The Next...

...he is committing suicide?

Then, the keep the circumstances of his death so hidden that even the WSJ reporter has no idea what were the circumstances of his death?

[progressoid]

45. I've been to that hotel.

[KRISITNA]

47. GOP Russian Op--he probably knew he would go to prison