Former US official Philip Haney's death in California ruled suicide

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Former US official’s death in California ruled suicide

By DON THOMPSON
March 9, 2022

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A former Department of Homeland Security official’s death two years ago that generated right-wing conspiracy theories was ruled a suicide Wednesday by a Northern California sheriff-coroner.

Evidence found during the investigation into Philip Haney’s death has now spurred a new investigation into how he obtained “contraband” documents.

Haney, 66, was found dead with a single gunshot wound Feb. 21, 2020, in a park-and-ride lot along a busy state highway in a rural area of Amador County, east of Sacramento. He was a former DHS national security official for 15 years and self-described whistleblower critical of President Barack Obama’s administration.

Haney’s death was controversial enough for the Amador County Sheriff’s Office to bring in FBI crime scene investigators and other analysts to assist.

Investigators found that Haney left a suicide note with a signature that a forensic analysis determined was in his handwriting. The gun used was traced to him.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/crime-california-suicides-sacramento-barack-obama-46ae30f268a03f69b8f4d9a1ce8d5c6d

[stopdiggin]

1. because it's the first question I had ...

No way to tell (here) how sensitive the documents in question were/are - how they came to be in his possession (although his work most likely provided access) - or who they might have been shared with, if in fact they were sensitive.

- snip - AP News, March 9,2022 - After Haney’s death, the FBI’s analysis of numerous thumb drives and a personal laptop in Haney’s motorhome determined that “many documents found are the property of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” according to the sheriff’s detailed account of the death investigation.

That federal agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility asked to take possession of what it called “contraband” documents.

The sheriff’s office said it turned over Haney’s laptop and three thumb drives a month ago “for their investigation into violations of CBP policy and numerous United States Codes.”

Customs and Border Protection spokesman Jaime Ruiz said he couldn’t comment “because it’s an open investigation.”

“We might have further details as the investigation progresses, but for now we can’t say anything,” Ruiz added.

An FBI spokeswoman, Gina Swankie, said her agency assisted the sheriff’s office with analysis, but it was not an FBI investigation. She declined to comment, deferring to the sheriff’s office.