Schwiech Aide Spence Jackson Dead March 30, 2015

Missourinet:
Multiple sources are saying that Spence Jackson, the media relations director for the late state auditor Tom Schweich, was found dead in his apartment in Jefferson City on Sunday.
Jackson’s death is reportedly being investigated as a suicide.
Schweich committed suicide February 26 at his home in Clayton. Friends and colleagues, including Jackson, said Schweich was angry about an alleged “whispering campaign” among other Republicans saying Schweich was Jewish, that Schweich believed was an effort to hurt him in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. Jackson was one of those in the Republican party who accused Missouri GOP Chairman John Hancock of being behind that effort, and called for his resignation.
In addition to being on Schweich’s staff for nearly four years, Jackson was close to Schweich.
More information about Jackson’s apparent death is anticipated later this morning.
Before taking the job working for Schweich in the auditor’s office in May, 2011, Jackson had worked as the communications director for the Missouri Department of Economic Development under then-governor Matt Blunt as well as the communications director for Blunt’s office in 2005 and much of 2006, and for Blunt’s campaign in 2004.

Hancock Says Fundraising is Key to Staying on GOP Job March 23, 2015

(AP) – The embattled chairman of the Missouri Republican Party gained some support Monday as police said they have no evidence of an anti-Semitic whispering campaign against a state auditor who killed himself.

A prominent GOP donor on Monday also revised his account of hearing a negative remark about the auditor’s religion, reaffirming the basic sentiment but saying the comment occurred earlier than he originally had recalled.

The twofold developments came as GOP Chairman John Hancock said he is weighing whether to remain in the job or resign following the Feb. 26 suicide of Auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican gubernatorial candidate who had said that Hancock was spreading false information about his religion.

Some Schweich supporters have called on Hancock to resign, or for the Republican state committee to remove him.

Hancock, who was elected chairman Feb. 21, said Monday that he would step down only if the controversy damages his ability to raise money for the Republican Party or hurts his other job as a paid consultant for GOP candidates.

He added: “I’ve received a tremendous amount of support from the state committee to continue on in this role.”

Schweich shot himself at his Clayton home just minutes after telling an Associated Press reporter that he wanted to go public with allegations that Hancock had been telling people Schweich was Jewish. Schweich, who was Christian but had Jewish ancestry, also had expressed angst to friends over what he perceived to be an anti-Semitic whispering campaign.

Clayton Police Detective Lt. Don Bass said Monday that the investigation into Schweich’s death is nearing an end. He said Schweich left behind no message explaining his actions, and detectives have found no evidence that he was the target of political bullying.

“I think everybody’s looking for a rational reason for an irrational act … but right now we’re not finding anything,” Bass told The Associated Press. He said based on “the leads and sources that we have heard from, we have not been able to prove that there was a whispering campaign.”

Clayton Police: No Clear Motive in Schweich Suicide March 23, 2015

(AP) – Police investigating the suicide of Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich say law officers have no clear motive for why he shot himself.

Clayton Police Lt. Don Bass told KMOX radio that detectives have been conducting interviews and searching through Schweich’s text messages, emails and voicemails.

Schweich shot himself at his Clayton home Feb. 26, just minutes after telling a reporter that he wanted to go public with allegations that the chairman of the Missouri Republican Party had been telling people Schweich was Jewish. Schweich, who was Christian, also had expressed angst to friends over what he perceived to be an anti-Semitic whispering campaign.

Bass says “there’s nothing to indicate a clear motive” and “there’s no substance to the whispering campaign” based on evidence brought to the attention of police.

Danforth Aide Says she was on the Phone Moments Beofre Schweich’s Shooting March 6, 2015

 (AP) – An aide to former U.S. Sen. John Danforth says she was on the phone with Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich (shwyk) discussing his religion just moments before he killed himself.

Danforth assistant Martha Fitz said in a written statement Thursday that Schweich’s chief of staff expressed concerns about his emotional state on Feb. 26 and asked her to call Schweich’s wife, Kathy.

Fitz said she spoke over the phone with Tom Schweich around 9:40 a.m., and he expressed outrage over “rumors that were being spread about his religion.”

She says Schweich threatened to kill himself and handed the phone to his wife. Seconds later, Fitz says she heard his wife say, “He shot himself.”

Danforth mentored Schweich, who had launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for governor just a month before his death.

Danforth Expected to Speak at Schweich Funeral This Morning March 3, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, an outspoken critic of the uncompromising nature of modern politics, is expected to speak Tuesday at a memorial service for Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, who fatally shot himself not long after entering a combative campaign for governor.

Many of Missouri’s top elected officials were to join Danforth in mourning Schweich, who died in what police describe as an apparent suicide last Thursday at his suburban St. Louis home.

The 54-year-old Republican auditor leaves behind a wife and two children, a seemingly rising political career and plenty of questions for Missouri politicians who now are wondering whether the negative nature of today’s campaigns contributed to Schweich’s death.

Schweich fatally shot himself just minutes after calling reporters to say he wanted to go public with allegations that the Missouri Republican Party chairman had made anti-Semitic comments about him. A Schweich spokesman said he also had been upset recently about a new negative radio ad that belittled his physical appearance and integrity as an opening salvo in the Republican primary for the 2016 governor’s race.