Report: Republican Operative Takes Own Life In Rochester
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A report in the Chicago Tribune said that a former Republican operative took his own life in Minnesota.
The report also said his death came soon after he told The Wall Street Journal he tried to obtain Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers during the 2016 presidential election.
The Chicago Tribune acquired Olmsted County death records, showing 81-year-old Peter W. Smith killed himself in a hotel near Mayo Clinic on May 14.
The paper reports a note from Smith found by police said he was taking his own life because of bad health and an expiring life insurance policy.
Smith's death came about 10 days after the Journal said he granted an interview in which he claimed he tried to acquire emails missing from Clinton's server.
Smith had lived in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest.
A former employee told the Tribune he thought Smith went to the Mayo Clinic for treatment of a heart condition.