GOP operative sought Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, committed suicide

[struggle4progress]

Katherine Skiba, David Heinzmann and Todd Lighty
Chicago Tribune

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 ...

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 ...

... the Chicago Tribune obtained a Minnesota state death record filed in Olmsted County that says Smith committed suicide in a hotel near the Mayo Clinic at 1:17 p.m. on Sunday, May 14. He was found with a bag over his head with a source of helium attached. A medical examiner's report gives the same account, without specifying the time, and a report from Rochester police further details his suicide.

In the note recovered by police, Smith apologized to authorities and said that "NO FOUL PLAY WHATSOEVER" was involved in his death. He wrote that he was taking his own life because of a "RECENT BAD TURN IN HEALTH SINCE JANUARY, 2017" and timing related "TO LIFE INSURANCE OF $5 MILLION EXPIRING" ...

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

[Else You Are Mad]

1. Nope nothing shady there at all.

What is this the 9th person connected to Russia and Trump to die in the last two years?

[Docreed2003]

2. Wow....just...wow

[VigilantG]

3. Suicide is not usually covered in Life Insurance policies.

Something smells...

[Panich52]

4. If he'd been connected to Clintons, Repubs would claim he

was obviously murdered.

[grantcart]

5. Most insurance policies do cover suicide after the contestability time period expires

Generally speaking life insurance companies can contest a death benefit for fraud or suicide within the first two years of the policy taking effect, after that period the life insurance company loses the ability to contest the death benefit. For example if someone lies about having AIDs on their insurance application the insurance company could only contest the fraud in the application within the first two years, after that the insurance company has no recourse, even in cases of fraud, unless the cause of death was the result of fraud by the beneficiaries to collect the death benefit.

1) The Suicide Clause

A life insurance company won't pay death benefits if the policyholder commits suicide within a specific period of time after their policy takes effect. In most states, that period is two years.

However, after those two years are up, the suicide clause no longer applies. If the policyholder commits suicide after the clause has expired, their life insurance claim typically can't be contested. Their beneficiaries will likely receive the full payout.

[VigilantG]

6. Thank you for clarifying that for me. I wonder how long he had his policy.

[grantcart]

7. probably a 30 year term policy