Posted on 09/13/2007 10:18:41 AM PDT by jdm
NEW YORK - The saga of the scandal-plagued Democratic fundraiser with ties to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton took another strange twist after he mailed a suicide note last week to a legal organization.
A person who saw the letter said Thursday that the note from Norman Hsu explicitly stated that he "intended to commit suicide." The person declined to reveal the exact phrasing, but said it was not rambling in nature.
The individual spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about it.
The letter arrived at the New York offices of the Innocence Project as Hsu was in the midst of a bizarre legal odyssey stemming from a 1991 grand theft case. Hsu has been wanted as a fugitive for missing his sentencing in the case. He failed to show up for a bail hearing last week in California and was arrested at a Colorado hospital after being taken off an Amtrak train.
Hsu was a leading money "bundler" for Clinton, earning the title of HillRaiser for his efforts. Her campaign is returning $850,000 in contributions linked to Hsu.
Innocence Project officials would not provide the specific details of the letter, but spokesman Eric Ferrero said a FedEx package arrived at the group's Manhattan office last Thursday. A receptionist gave the letter to the executive director, Madeline DeLone.
"We were all concerned for his safety. We knew we needed to try to reach him right away. We wanted to make sure he was safe," said Ferrero.
They tried Hsu's cell phone, but there was no answer and the voicemail was full.
Innocence Project officials then tried to reach Hsu's attorney and faxed a copy of the letter to the California attorney general's office, which is handling the case.
"We sent the letter to law enforcement in California in the event they could help him in time and also because they were handling an active case there involving him," said Ferrero.
The letter was one page, typewritten and signed by Hsu. It was sent overnight delivery.
Details of the letter were first reported Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.
Hsu has been a benefactor of the Innocence Project, a legal group that helps prove prisoners' innocence through DNA testing.
"Norman Hsu has been a strong, committed supporter of ours for years. I believe he saw a report about our work and thought it was good work and worthy of supporting," Ferrero said.
I was wrong.
The plot thickens...a caller to Rush just now said that the Amtrak sleeper train requires a reservation made months in advance.
Who is " A Person?" another unamed source.
And why wasn't the note given verbatim? Thats because Hsu did not write it, it was likely written by a DNC agent, on DNC stationary.
Good show today...how about the Woodstock earmark connection?
Unnhhh? Maybe strange to AP , but we were predicting a Vince Foster scenario on Hsu from his original arrest.
Hsu is in danger, and should be kept in federal protective custody, pending an appointment of a special prosecutor.
Note that we do not have an AG to make that appointment process happen. Thats why the DEMS DO NOT WANT TED OLSEN. Ted is not maleable enough for the Dems.
Obviously, Hsu needs to learn from the Virginia Tech killer how to leave a proper opus.
i would give Hsu all the life insurance he wants. Life insurance doesn’t pay for suicides.
...and then drive to Fort Marcy Park.
Good point. He may not be safe yet. And I would love to know who called Mr Hsu during his time on the run.
He's dead......and he doesn't even know it.......
The FEC has already told her “No Way Lady!”
Hillary missed her chance. Darn-it!
I do hate to disagree, but my family recently took a trip to Orlando via Amtrak and were asked as we were checking in if we wanted to upgrade from coach to a sleeper. Maybe that particular route sells out, though. Remember, if we are wrong about any one thing, the media will use that thing to discredit the whole argument.
According to DNC/Clinton operative Terry McAuliffe, as reported Sept. 8 in the WSJ, maybe not so much: Mr. McAuliffe adds, "He was very hard to understand, to tell you the truth."
So, yes, the grammar and syntax of the note would be very revealing.
You gotta wonder if Hsu “freaked out” when someone who got the Fed Ex called him and informed him of his intent to “kill himself”?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.