A Missouri political operative was told that there was a “possibility of change” in his employment before he apparently committed suicide, the state auditor’s office said Tuesday.
Spence Jackson served as the spokesman for late gubernatorial candidate and state Auditor Tom Schweich (R) before Schweich took his own life on Feb. 26 amid rumors of a whisper campaign about his faith. Schweich told people before his death that he believed the whisper campaign was designed to hurt him in the Republican primary.
Jackson was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head Sunday in his apartment, a little more than a month after Schweich’s own suicide. At the request of Jackson’s family, authorities on Tuesday revealed the contents of a note found at the scene in order to dispel speculation of a connection between the two apparent suicides.
“I’m so sorry. I just can’t be unemployed again,” the note read, according to Jefferson City police Capt. Doug Shoemaker.
Jackson was still “gainfully employed” at the auditor’s office at the time of his death, Shoemaker added in a news conference.
But a spokesman for the auditor’s office told TPM Tuesday that Schweich’s temporary replacement had warned top staffers that there was a possibility of losing their jobs once a new interim auditor was appointed.
“When Interim Auditor John Watson took over, he met with senior staff. At that time he noted that every one’s job was secure, but that when the new interim was appointed, there would be a possibility of change,” acting media director David Luther told TPM by email.
Watson had no individual conversations with staff members, Luther added.
Wow, some Republicans really DO believe anyone who is unemployed don’t deserve to live.
Hancock and Rex Sinquelfield were on the warpath. They were going to destroy those that questioned the way they did business. The Missouri GOP embraced antisemitism and then extorted those that called them out on it. So they pushed even harder.
To get what old rich conservatives want, nothing is out of the question. When you have the money and the Supreme Court in your back pocket, you can walk around with blood on your hands and never care in the least how indecent it makes you look in the process.
The more these people talk about family values and principles the less credibility they have.
Please use correct subjunctives. The headline should read “might,” not may. “May” goes with present tense. “Might” goes with the past-tense “was”… i.e., “was warned his job might be in jeopardy.” Sorry, but that all-too-common misuse bugs me.
That said, the way the state GOP has handled this whole disaster – which their own readiness to use bigotry as a weapon created in the first place – is very, very revealing.
Weird he thought he might be on his way out. The last five letters of his name weren’t …stein.
This is just beyond bizarre. I don’t believe for a moment this man took his life to avoid unemployment. Clearly there is something more to this story.