Russia collusion figure Peter Smith’s obituary reveals how he was connected to Donald Trump campaign
Over the past three days, recently deceased Republican operative Peter W. Smith has suddenly been thrust in to the middle of Donald Trump’s Russian collusion scandal. Smith claimed to have been working with Trump adviser Michael Flynn, while also claiming to have been connected to numerous other Trump advisers. Everyone in the Trump camp is denying any connection. But we’ve tracked down Smith’s obituary, which reveals the key connection between him and the Trump team.
There is still no available word on how Peter Smith, who was eighty-one years old, has died. We do know that he passed away on May 14th of 2017, just ten days after he spoke with the Wall Street Journal about his Trump-Russia collusion scheme. But his obituary, which was published in the Chicago Tribune and has been mirrored online on Legacy.com, reveals details of how he was connected to the Republican Party in general and to the Donald Trump campaign and administration in particular. Here’s the relevant passage:
“He worked with the Atlantic Council of the United states for 12 years, as board vice chair, treasurer and finance chairman. Other policy organizations in which Peter was active included the Heritage Foundation, Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Brookings Institution. He served as national chairman of the College Young Republicans and in later years was involved in fundraising for the Republican National Committee, GOPAC, and candidate and state party organizations.” (Legacy.com)
The major takeaway in the above paragraph is the Heritage Foundation. It’s largely under the control of the Mercer family, and in fact Rebekah Mercer sits on its Board of Directors. Mercer and the Heritage Foundation have played a key role in funding the Donald Trump campaign and in shaping the Donald Trump administration. Further, top Trump adviser Steve Bannon is closely tied with the Mercer family, having worked with them on numerous projects. Notably, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Peter Smith listed Steve Bannon on his collusion document (link). Bannon’s camp is denying any connection to Smith.
