slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

David Choi

Business Insider, July 13, 2017

A GOP donor and opposition researcher who said he tried to work with Russian hackers to retrieve deleted emails from a private server used by Hillary Clinton, has died in a suicide, according to public records cited in a Chicago Tribune report.

Peter Smith k**led himself days after an interview with The Wall Street Journal in which he said he sought out Russian hackers to try to retrieve some 33,000 deleted Clinton emails and pass them to Michael Flynn, then a campaign adviser to Donald Trump.

Death records from Minnesota show that Smith, 81, died in a hotel of "asphyxiation due to displacement of oxygen in confined space with helium" on May 14. Smith was found with a note that said there was "NO FOUL PLAY WHATSOEVER" regarding his death.

Smith also apologized to the authorities for his death and attributed his final decision to a "recent bad turn in health," according to the records cited by the Tribune, which reported that he also said his $5 million life insurance policy was close to expiring.

The Mayo Clinic located near the hotel in Rochester, Minnesota, declined to confirm whether Smith was a patient, the Tribune said. Smith's former associates reportedly said he was suffering from health issues and frequently complained of heart problems.

Smith gave his interview to The Journal 10 days before his death. He said he had assembled a group seeking to obtain emails Clinton deleted from the private server she used during her tenure as secretary of state. Smith implied that, when reaching out to several hacking groups, he was working with Flynn. Details on whether Flynn was involved in Smith's mission are not known. Smith told The Journal he knew Flynn but did not say whether Flynn was involved.

Smith's account is consistent with the findings from US investigators examining Russia's involvement in the 2016 US p**********l e******n, according to sources cited by The Journal. Reports compiled by intelligence agencies say Russian hackers discussed ways to acquire emails from Clinton's server and give them to Flynn through an intermediary.

Clinton's emails were a major talking point for Trump and his surrogates during the 2016 p**********l campaign, one that only escalated after the FBI recommended that prosecutors not bring charges against Clinton.

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

What??? Yet another suicide involving the Clinton name...tsk,tsk,tsk...a note stating no foul play whatsoever...wow! I will have to remember that, my backyard is quickly filling up.....the roses are doing well though

Smile slatt

nwtk2007 Loc: Texas

Pretty convenient right?? I always leave a note specifying there was no foul play when ever I commit suicide!

Super Dave Loc: Realville, USA

Did he empty a clip into the back of his head?

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

You often make me smile, WeeWilly. I have found that Texans, generally speaking, have good senses of humor.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

Convenient, very! Makes one think about the documents he had printed out.... no mention of where they went. Chicago Tribune reports: "Smith told the Journal he believed the missing emails might have been obtained by Russian hackers. He also said he thought the correspondence related to Clinton's official duties. He told the Journal he worked independently and was not part of the Trump campaign. He also told the Journal he and his team found five groups of hackers — two of them Russian groups — that claimed to have Clinton's missing emails.

Smith had a history of doing opposition research, the formal term for unflattering information that political operatives dig up about rival candidates.

For years, former Democratic President Bill Clinton was Smith's target. The wealthy businessman had a hand in exposing the "Troopergate" allegations about Bill Clinton's sex life. And he discussed financing a probe of a 1969 trip Bill Clinton took while in college to the Soviet Union, according to Salon."

No mention of any success he may have had with "hackers" Russian or otherwise. And I still wonder what happened to all those missing emails.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Apparently, though, you've never been quite successful in those attempts. Keep working at it, I guess.

But, I'd rather you stick around, Nwtk. You're a worthwhile contributor with your eclectic style.

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

Well hell!! I guess I'm behind the old eight ball on this.....whoda thunked it? I wonder if the note was dated a couple days after his death

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

Yes we do slatt, somewhat warped....but hey, take what ya can get brother

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

"Warped " We resemble that remark.

nwtk2007 Loc: Texas

Lol! Thanks slatten!

nwtk2007 Loc: Texas

HA! Probably!

nwtk2007 Loc: Texas

Heck, those emails aren't important. Not even worth looking into!

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

Wow! Someone whose mysterious death isn't that mysterious? That's a change.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

If you are talking about the means of death, that seems to be known..... a bag over his head. Not a usual way of committing suicide.
And then there is the note.... nothing said to his children or grandchildren, ordinarily that is a prime thought during the pr********n stage,
a goodbye and I love you. But, his note was not usual. So, there is still mystery.