OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
More information has been revealed regarding the death of former President Obama’s personal chef, and it has raised more questions.
The news about the new information in the tragic death of Tafari Campbell was revealed on the Fox News show “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Friday.
“We have new information tonight in the drowning death of Obama’s chef Tafari Campbell,” the host said. “The Massachusetts State Police responded to our FOIA request and released their report with some redactions.”
“According to the report, Obama was on the scene shortly after Campbell went missing,” Watters said. “The report also states an unnamed female staffer jumped into the water when Tafari fell off his board, but it was already too late. He disappeared.”
“We also now know that Secret Service has surveillance footage of Campbell from Obama’s compound moments before he entered the water,” the host said.
“So we’re going to see if we can get that, and we may have that for you. Again, we’re very, very sorry for Tafari’s family. That was a serious, serious tragedy,” he said.
The details were made public by Judicial Watch on its website, and many of the key figures and places in the report were redacted.
“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 group said.
“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,’” it said.
“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,” Judicial Watch said.
Judicial Watch reported:
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.
