Uh oh ... was lil' Barry Soetoro "paddling" with his favorite chef when he fell, went under water, and didn't come back up? Hmmm ... maybe lil' Barry didn't want people to know that he was "vacationing" with Tafari Campbell without Moochelle along as a chaperone?!
http://twitchy.com/justmindy/2023/10/22/obama-chef-weird-facts-n2388872
Ok. Admittedly, I have wanted to write about the Obama Chef drowning, but also have wanted to be respectful of the fact a man lost his life. For full disclosure, I live on a lake and was present when a man drowned not far from my dock after falling off a paddleboard. He had been drinking at a neighbor's home, did not wear a life jacket, and even though the water was not much deeper than his height, he must have become disoriented or hit his head on the board and he drowned. So, the initial facts of the Obama Chef drowning seemed less strange to me than probably others. Then, more information was released this week and it does get way more weird, for sure.
Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) ~ Judicial Watch: New Records Reveal Barack Obama’s Presence at Emergency Scene of Obama Family Chef Drowning
Unreleased Secret Service Video Footage Exists of Victim Entering Water and Secret Service Emergency Response
(Washington, DC) – @JudicialWatch announced today that it received 40 pages of records from the Massachusetts State Police that indicate the presence of Barack Obama for a witness interview in the death investigation of the Obamas’ personal chef Tafari Campbell. The records, which are heavily redacted, indicate Barack Obama arrived at the emergency response scene via motorcade. A short time later, a cold, wet woman, who was a witness, arrived. The next morning, the eyewitness was interviewed in the Obama residence, again with Barack Obama present. The records also detail the existence of a Secret Service video of Campbell and his paddleboarding companion entering the water, and the Secret Service emergency response in the immediate aftermath of the drowning. The State Police records show they concluded “no foul play” in Campbell’s “accidental” death.
The documents were produced to Judicial Watch in response to a July 25, 2003, Massachusetts Public Records Law request for all records relating to the death of Campbell.
The documents show Campbell’s family told police that he had taken swimming lessons in 2019 but described his ability as “not a great swimmer.” The drowning occurred in Edgartown Great Pond, which Massachusetts Environmental Police estimated “to be approximately seven to eight feet deep.”
The records also show a female eyewitness, an Obama employee whose name is redacted, told state police that she saw Campbell “fall off his paddleboard, began splashing and became extremely panicked, yelling for help and subsequently went underwater very quickly.” By the time she reached his paddleboard, the witness said Campbell had “disappeared into the extremely murky” water.
The records include a July 24, 2023, homicide/death report written by Mass. State Trooper Dustin Shaw that lists the details of the investigation into Campbell’s death. In the narrative portion Shaw writes:
On Sunday, July 23, 2023, at approximately 7:58 PM, [he] … was notified by the Dukes County Regional Emergency Communications Center of a possible drowning incident that originated from a 911 call at [redacted] in the Town of Edgartown, on Martha’s Vineyard, at 7:46 PM. The 911 caller was identified as [redacted], who identified himself as a United States Secret Service Special Agent. I am aware that [redacted] in Edgartown is a residence owned by [redacted]. I was informed that two (2) people on paddleboards had entered the water at Edgartown Great Pond, from the shore of [redacted], and one person was unaccounted for after being witnessed in distress going under the water and never resurfacing.
***
I located EFD [Edgartown Fire Dept.] Chief Schaeffer, and he informed me that two (2) paddleboarders launched two (2) separate paddleboards from the shoreline at [redacted] in Edgartown. Tafari CAMPBELL (DOB [redacted]) was identified as the missing paddleboarder and [redacted] (DOB [redacted]) was identified as the surviving paddleboarder. I was informed that CAMPBELL is the personal Chef of [redacted] and his family, and [redacted] is a staff member of [redacted], thus the reason they were both at the [redacted] residence prior to the incident.
***
EFD [Edgartown Fire Dept.] Chief Schaeffer went on to explain that CAMPBELL and [redacted] were paddleboarding together when [redacted] observed CAMPBELL on the board, in the standing position and suddenly lose his balance and enter the water, and struggle to stay above water. Chief Schaeffer informed me that [redacted] observed CAMPBELL go under the water, and never resurface. [Redacted] reportedly subsequently paddled back to shore to [redacted] and alerted a member of the U.S. Secret Service at a nearby security post. I was informed that USSS Special Agent [redacted] called 911 and reported the incident to the Dukes County Sheriff’s Department Regional Communications Center.
Simultaneously, U.S. Secret Service Rescue Swimmers immediately deployed from the shore at [redacted] and began searching the immediate area and underwater for CAMPBELL, subsequently not locating him.
***
Campbell was … reported to be wearing a black tee-shirt, black shorts, and a black baseball cap at the time he entered the water…. I was informed that both CAMPBELL and [redacted] paddleboards had been recovered in separate locations along the shorelines on Turkeyland Cove, approximately several hundred yards from one another.
***
At approximately 8:40PM [redacted]’s motorcade arrived at the ICP [incident command post] and I was introduced to [redacted]. I … along with EFD [Edgartown Fire Dept.] Chief Schaeffer briefed [redacted] on the situation thus far, as well as the search and rescue efforts currently underway. A short time later, [redacted] arrived at the ICP and I was introduced to her. I observed that [redacted] was visibly emotional and was shaking from being cold and wet…. In a preliminary conversation I had with [redacted] and [redacted] [she] informed me that when she initially observed CAMPBELL fall off his paddleboard, began splashing and became extremely panicked, yelling for help and subsequently went underwater very quickly. [Redacted] stated that she immediately discarded her paddleboard and swam over to CAMPBELL as fast as she could in [an] attempt to rescue him. [Redacted] explained that by the time she reached CAMPBELL’S paddleboard, she was “too late,” and he had disappeared into the murky, very low visibility water. [Redacted] stated that she then utilized CAMPBELL’S paddleboard and returned to the shore at [redacted] to alert the Secret Service and activate emergency help, as neither she nor CAMPBELL had cellular phones with them at the time of the incident. [Redacted] stated that she left CAMPBELL’S paddleboard on the shore and ran to the nearest U.S. Secret Service security post and reported the incident to the first USSS Special Agent she saw (Special Agent [redacted]).
[Redacted] informed me that he and [redacted], [redacted] were not present at their residence ([redacted] Edgartown) at the time of the incident and had been out for dinner, therefore, CAMPBELL would not have been working for the evening. [Redacted] thanked us for our efforts and departed the ICP a short time later.
***
At approximately 7:55 AM, we arrived at [redacted] accompanied by SAIC [special agent in charge] Murray and SAIC Murphy. Upon arrival at the residence, we were introduced to [reacted] invited us into his residence, and we were directed into the office of [redacted], which was to be utilized to conduct the interview.
***
[Redacted] explained that on Sunday, July 23, 2023, she began her day at approximately 8:00AM helping CAMPBELL in the kitchen at [redacted] in Edgartown. Throughout the day, and into lunch time, [redacted] said it was a quiet day, and she was helping CAMPBELL design his Instagram page.
***
[Redacted] explained that approximately 6:10 PM, on July 23. 2023, she asked CAMPBELL if he wanted to go paddleboarding in Edgartown Great Pond, to which he agreed…. CAMPBELL walked from the residence to the shoreline of Edgartown Great Pond and obtained two paddleboards and two paddles from the [redacted] property.
[Redacted] explained to me that CAMPBELL was an inexperienced swimmer, and that CAMPBELL had been attempting to teach himself to swim at the pool at the residence over the years. [Redacted] also stated that CAMPBELL had told her in the past that he couldn’t swim.
[Redacted] explained that when she and CAMPBELL began paddleboarding, they both remained on their knees while they paddled in Edgartown Great Pond. [Redacted] continued to say that at one point, she stood up on the paddleboard, and then saw CAMPBELL attempting to stand up on his board shortly thereafter. [Redacted] stated that after approximately 30 seconds of standing, she observed CAMPBELL lose his balance on the board and saw him fall into the water. [Redacted] stated that she yelled to CAMPBELL to grab onto the board in front of him, however, she observed he quickly begin to panic while yelling for help. [Redacted] stated that she left her board and attempted to swim to CAMPBELL to help him, however, she said by the time she reached CAMPBELLS board it was ‘too late’, and he went under the water…. [Redacted] stated that neither she, nor CAMPBELL consumed any alcohol or drugs prior to paddleboarding.
***
The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. ~ D.H. Lawrence
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