Did former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld commit suicide at a military tribunal? No, that's not true: The suicide claim originated from a website whose made-up stories regarding well-known people previously have been debunked. The site itself carries a disclaimer saying: "This website contains humor, parody, and satire."
Rumsfeld's foundation released a statement that he died on June 29, 2021, at his home in Taos, New Mexico. A representative of Rumsfeld's family confirmed that his cause of death was multiple myeloma. A spokesperson from the Pentagon also told Lead Stories that Rumsfeld was "certainly not involved in a military tribunal."
The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by Real Raw News on July 18, 2021. Titled "Rumsfeld Committed Suicide at Military Tribunal; Did Not Die of Natural Causes," it said:
On June 30, the mainstream media reported on the June 29 death of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who at 88 years old certainly had one foot in the grave and could have expired at any moment. His cause of death was listed as Multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in white blood cells and damages bones, kidneys, and the immune system. While he may have been gravely ill, cancer did not kill him.
Rather, he committed suicide at a military tribunal that held him responsible for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, who perished while hunting for imaginary WMDs, on Rumsfeld's orders.
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Rumsfeld Committed Suicide at Military Tribunal; Did Not Die of Natural Causes - Real Raw News
On June 30, the mainstream media reported on the June 29 death of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who at 88 years old certainly had one foot in the grave and could have expired at any moment. His cause of death was listed as Multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in white blood cells [...]
The Rumsfeld Foundation released a statement on June 30, 2021, which said:
A man whose lifetime of public service began as a Naval aviator, Donald Rumsfeld died on June 29 at the age of 88, surrounded by family at his home in Taos, New Mexico.
Many news organizations reported details of Rumsfeld's death at his home in New Mexico, as can be seen here and here. Rumsfeld's former chief of staff and family representative, Keith Urbahn, confirmed that Rumsfeld's cause of death was multiple myeloma, a type of cancer involving abnormal plasma cells.
A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories via email on July 19, 2021:
He was certainly not involved in a military tribunal.
Real Raw News, the website where this claim originated, includes a disclaimer to readers that states:
Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire. We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel.
Lead Stories has previously debunked claims made from Real Raw News as well. These articles can be found here.
