The Suspicious Death of Tafari Campbell
Recent reports are raising new questions about the details surrounding the death of Obama's personal chef. Here's why online sleuths are waging their own investigations
I was happy to leave this one alone. I really tried to refrain from entertaining stacking conspiracies because, let's face it, people drown every day. And admittedly, I still hesitate to pair sinister motives with the Obamas. But then things kept getting weirder with newly released reports demanding a deeper look; To at least try and understand how this tragic accident happened 100 ft from an ex-president's vacation home with significant details withheld.
Mainstream has pretty much tossed all interest in the story, so here we are walking through bullet points that online skeptics have rounded up to keep it afloat.
(Dark pun, not at all intended)
“This is why people don’t trust what they’re told about cases such as these. What otherwise looks to be a simple tragic accident becomes something else because the government withholds information improperly to protect a politician.”
- Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch.
“The Chefs Know Everything”
When I was newly connecting with sources offering insight about Ghislaine Maxwell, several of them urged me to track down her former chef. I tried and failed. He had moved on and was involved in some brain trial experiments deep in the Mexican desert, not answering messages from noisy journalists. For good reason, I assume.
"The chefs know everything.”
It’s the curse of their profession, to see and hear everything that goes on in the high profile households they are hired to feed.
“The chefs always die because no one ever goes looking for dead chefs.” A friend DM’d me last week.
Anytime a political figure is connected to a mysterious death (in Clinton's case, it happens far too often,) the online community naturally launches its own investigation to try and poke holes in whatever plot mainstream media has decidedly constructed for us.
Remember when police arrived and found Nancy Pelosi's husband beaten in the head by a man in underwear, armed with a hammer in the middle of the night, and presented it as a randomly deranged home intruder when it sounded an awful lot like an enraged secret lover?
Nancy retired two weeks later.
The verdict is still out on what really went down that night, but the point is: political scandals are always repackaged as something else.
Unsurprisingly, the tragic passing of Obama's chef, 45-year-old Tafari Campbell, has raised many brows of suspicion. Cyber detectives have been on the case for a month now, after first hearing the unsettling news that Campbell was found dead in only 8 feet of water, 100 feet from the banks of the Obama's estate on Edgartown Great Pond in Martha's Vineyard.
The fact that Tafari was a good swimmer (documented in videos he shared online to track his progress) yet drowned in shallow water raised initial skepticism back in July. Couple that with his close ties to a powerful political family, his proximity to their estate at the time of death, an unidentified female witness, a secret service agent calling for help from the estate, and the police department refusing to release witness information to the public, how could you not be questioning the validity of the toxicology reports and narrative authorities are trying to spin?
Details in newly released reports weaken the narrative of an accidental drowning. As a result, online sleuths are questioning everything.
Who Was Tafari Campbell?
Tafari Campbell was more than just a chef to the Obamas. Hailing from Dumfries, Virginia, he was a husband to Sherise Campbell and a father to two twin boys, Xavier and Savin.
Campbell attended culinary school in Virginia and owned his own restaurant before becoming a sous chef at the White House. He began his career under the Bush administration and stayed on board for both Obama’s terms.
After the White House gig was up, Obama invited Tafari to work as his family's personal chef. He worked for the family for a few years and then started his own chef business called "Timeless Creations."
His net worth at the time of death was reported to be over $1 million.
Tafari was behind the creation of Obama’s home brewed beer
The Paddleboarding Accident on July 23rd, 2023
Tafari tragically died in a freak paddle boarding accident on July 23, 2023, drowning in a pond near Obama's 12 million dollar waterfront estate in Martha's Vineyard.
According to the first police report released, a search was launched later that Sunday night looking for a "male paddle boarder who had gone into the water, appeared to briefly struggle to stay on the surface, and then submerged and did not resurface." State Police said in July that an unidentified female witness "saw a man struggling in the water."
On the evening of July 23, this same unidentified witness said she wasn't able to assist Campbell after she saw him go under without wearing a life vest. The Globe reported that a "rescue swimmer, presumably a separate person, also tried to find Campbell but could not." A boat crew, dive team, and Coast Guard helicopter set out to find Campbell that night, who was allegedly hard to find as he was reported to be wearing all black clothing.
Campbell's body wasn't found until 10:00 AM the following morning, recovered in shallow water about 100 feet from Obama's estate.
A majority of the public assumed Campbell was visiting the Obamas since 1. He was on vacation when the accident occurred, and 2. His body was found in a pond very close to their summer home.
The Obama’s office clarified to the Boston Globe that the Obamas were on the island at the time, just not at home when Campbell drowned.
Unidentified Witness / Secret Service Agent Called 911
Details of Campbell’s death remain shrouded in mystery, thanks to the authorities’ keeping lips sealed.
The police call logs from the night of the incident were not properly filled out. The section where police are suppose to list “reason for the call” was left blank. But it’s being reported that every other call from that night was filled out properly.
Updates from August 23rd, 2023:
New incident reports given to the Daily Mail by Edgartown Police reveal that the unidentified witness paddle boarding with Campbell was a female Obama staffer, who was on a paddle board of her own when the incident occurred.
According to these new reports, a secret service agent made a call to 911 from the Obama estate at 7:46 PM and by 8:02 PM they had recovered Campbell’s paddle board and clothing, but had not yet come in contact with his body.
The police department refused to identify the witness or the 911 caller. To further protect both of their identities, they also advised all other law enforcement agencies not to identify the caller or the witness.
If this was just an accident, why is the police going to great lengths to protect the identity of the witness?
According to the DailyMail.com: “Releasing the summary conclusion of a report from the chief medical examiner, officials refused to reveal even basic findings, such as whether Campbell suffered a medical episode or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
The Edgartown police have closed the case, but the names of the U.S. Secret Service agent who dialed 911 and information related to the “sole witness” to the drowning — the female companion — remain redacted.
“Robert Bertsche, general counsel of the New England Newspaper and Press Association , told DailyMai.com that the police’s silence on the incident is a disservice to the public and is responsible for a “cottage industry” of conspiracy theories.
The 911 call absolutely should be released,” Bertsche said. “So should the other details about the now-completed investigation by state or local authorities. That’s not merely the law – it’s a sound public practice.
When the government keeps secrets, the void inevitably gets filled with conspiracy theories, and that leads to suspicion and distrust of government,” he explained. “That doesn’t serve the legitimate interests of law enforcement – and it certainly doesn’t serve the public, which has a right to know how the police reached their conclusion.
By refusing to disclose the investigation details, the police have spawned a cottage industry of rumor-making and malign speculation,” he continued. “It’s natural for members of the public to ask: ‘What do they have to hide?'” - VIA Biz Pac Review
Found Naked
Just 16 minutes after an unidentified Secret Service agent reported Campbell missing to the police, his paddle board and clothing were recovered by search a team.
So, are we supposed to believe that a respected member of Obama’s staff woke up that day, decided to jump on a paddle board naked, without a life vest, lost his balance in 8ft of water, 100ft from shore, and drowned while secret service was on site?
Public Suspicions: Campbell Was in Great Shape
Standing at 5’9, with a muscular build, Campbell was considered to be a decent swimmer who was in good shape. A photo featured in several articles shows him wearing a shirt that reads, “there is greatness in our DNA.”
He posted a photo in October 2017, showing him and his wife standing deep in the waters of Aruba with the hashtag “#stillcantswim.” A follower asked:, “But can you swim though? Lol.” He responded with a “weary” emoji.
A year and a half later, a few videos uploaded to his Instagram show him practicing swimming with the hashtags “#Progress” and “#survivalskills.”
In some of these videos, Campbell can be seen completing a freestyle, breast stroke and backstroke for over 30 minutes, leading many to question how he wasn’t able to recover from falling off a paddle board in only 8 feet of water.
“Even we if claim he wasn't a good swimmer, he still had his paddleboard which could easily hold both Jack and Rose from the Titanic,” one online user commented on the NY Post questioning Campbells’ cause of death.
Campbell can also be seen in many photographs online participating in several different sports.
No Head Trauma
Massachusetts authorities confirmed that Campbell didn’t suffer any head trauma. They concluded he simply “lost his balance.”
State Police Reported That The Obamas Were Not in Town At The Time
But both of Obama’s daughters were. The girls were photographed leaving Martha's Vineyard 2 days after Tafari's body was found.
So who all was on the property that weekend?
The whereabouts of Barack and Michelle that weekend have not been fully explained. Nothing about the house situation has.
Obama’s Statement
The Obamas first expressed condolences on July 24, shortly after Campbell's death was announced.
"Tafari was a beloved part of our family. When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter. That's why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He's been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he's gone," a statement released to Insider read.
Barack Obama later posted a tribute to Campbell on Instagram. Michelle Obama also posted an Instagram tribute.
"I will miss my friend, Tafari...the emptiness is hard. But I promise to stay strong, keep living, and honor your legacy in every way possible. Rest in peace, my brother."
Is “Drowning” a Coverup? - Audio via @drama.bay8
High Profile Death Commonalities
It’s fair to wonder why so many people who die around high-profile politicians always have their deaths ruled "accidental" or "suicide?"
A cryptic comment spotted in the NY Post comment section stated, "An accidental drowning due to "submersion in a body of water" is much more plausible than submersion in the bathtub in the master's bedroom. ;)"
Many users also find it odd that Campbell, an employee of the Obamas, was allowed to hang out alone at their estate with a mystery woman and his daughters while they reportedly weren't home.
Murder / Obama ‘still in control’ conspiracy via Tru News Online
Rumor: Campbell Was Allegedly Writing an Obama ‘Tell All’
Twitter accounts started running with the theory that Campbell was in the process of publishing a 'tell all' cookbook at the time of his drowning. A site called "CBKNEWS," which has over 100k followers, tweeted that publishing sources said he was going to "dish some dirt out on the clients he worked for as well as disclose their eating habits."
This account, however, did not provide any concrete evidence of a book in the publication process. Nor did it reveal any sources.
Letters to Alex: Obama’s 1982 Letter Confessing “Gay fantasies” Resurfaced Weeks After Tafari’s Death
The timing of the old letters is another peculiar point. They surfaced shortly after Tafari's death. Coincidence? Or, possibly an underlying attack at play because the rumors that Michelle Obama might jump in at the last minute to rescue the Democrat’s from Biden’s cognitive decline, are true?
In 2017, 9 letters sent by Obama to his college girlfriend, Alexandra McNear, were made public to researchers through Emory University's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library. The university has had the letters since 2014.
Earlier this August, however, a few weeks after Campbell's death, excerpts from those letters resurfaced to expose previously unpublished remarks about Obama’ confessing to gay fantasies while attending Occidental College in Los Angeles.
'I make love to men daily, in the imagination.'
In this letter from 1982 — obtained by the New York Post, he shared ungaurded feelings about homosexuality, describing it as a way to "detach from the present and potentially evade the recurring theatrics of earthly existence."
'In regard to homosexuality, I must say that I believe this is an attempt to remove oneself from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce of earthly life.'
Obama described his mind as "androgynous."Eloquence has always been his strong point.
'My mind is androgynous to a great extent and I hope to make it more so until I can think in terms of people, not women as opposed to men,' he said.
While McNear had redacted the more suggestive portions of the letter, historian David Garrow uncovered them while doing research for his book "Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama." The historian who published the letter also defended Obama's letter and said Obama's fantasies were common.
"I'm a historian, not a psychologist. But I think it's 'public record' news that a (vast?) majority of human beings have sexual fantasies!" he told The Post.
The original letters are currently stored at Emory University.
Who is Alex McNear?
According to Opoyi.com:
“McNear and Obama dated during his year at Occidental College in Los Angeles. The letter is currently owned by Emory University, which doesn’t permit it to be photographed or removed. Garrow’s friend, Harvey Klehr transcribed the paragraphs by hand and sent them to the biographer.
McNear said she thought Obama was “interesting in a very particular way. He really worked his way through an idea or question, turned it over, looked at it from all sides, and then he came to a precise and elegant conclusion.” A year after Obama transferred to Columbia University in New York in 1981, the two reconnected over dinner.
“We sat and talked and ate and drank wine. Or at least I drank wine. I think he drank something stronger. It was one of those dark, old Italian restaurants that don’t exist in New York anymore. It was the kind of place where they leave you alone. I remember thinking how happy I felt just talking to him, that I could talk to him for hours. We walked slowly back to my apartment, on 90th, and said good-bye. After that we started spending much more time together,” McNear told David Maraniss, the author of Barack Obama: The Story.
When McNear went back to Occidental, the two tried to maintain a long distance relationship through letters. However, the relationship did not last long.
McNear is the daughter of Suzanne McNear, who edited Playboy Magazine’s fiction features in the 1960s and 70s. he was born in Racine, Wisconsin and now lives in Sag Harbor, Long Island.
Alex herself is also a writer. She was working on a collection of short plays, “each one with no more than two characters… humorous plays about catastrophes.” After working at Playboy, she worked with Paul Theroux and the late South African novelist Nadine Gordimer.
Alex was previously married to Bob Bozic, a former Serbian boxer. Presently she is married to Dr. Robert Stein, a child psychotherapist in Sag Harbor.
Clinton’s White House Chef Also Mysteriously Drowned in 2015
Obama's chef wasn't the only chef to die mysteriously by drowning. In 2015, another former White House chef, Walter Scheib, was found dead in the mountains of New Mexico.
Walter Scheib worked as a chef in the White House from 1995-2005. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton hired him during Bill Clinton's administration, and he then stayed to work through George W. Bush's first term.
When he mysteriously passed away, the Clintons put out a statement that mirrors the Obama's recent remarks, complimenting his talent and commitment to the culinary arts.
According to ABC, the Clintons praised Scheib's "delicious and creative" meals and how he "used his immense talents not only to represent the very best of American cuisine to visiting leaders but to make a difference in people's lives through non-profit work."
While unconfirmed rumors are swirling that Campbell was in the process of publishing a 'tell all' cookbook, it doesn't seem that far fetched considering Scheib coauthored a cookbook himself called "White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen" after leaving the White House.
“An autopsy determined the nature of Walter Scheib’s death was accidental, a department statement said.
Scheib, who served under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, has been absent since June 13 when he left to go for a hike alone on a mountain trail in Taos, New Mexico. He was later reported missing by a family member.
On Thursday, investigators tracked Scheib’s cell phone signal to a mountain in Taos, according to a press release from the New Mexico State Department of Public Safety.
His body was found submerged “in a mountain drainage flowing with surface runoff” about 25 yards off the Yerba Canyon hiking trail, hidden from view by vegetation and a steep decline off the trail, the statement said. There was no indication of foul play.
Scheib had recently moved to the area, according to Sergeant Elizabeth Armijo, a New Mexico State Police public information officer.
Scheib’s car was discovered by investigators Tuesday in a parking lot at the Yerba Canyon Trailhead.
His body was discovered off the immediate trail approximately 1.7 miles from the base of a hiking trail.
Scheib served as White House executive chef from 1994 to 2005. Scheib was personally hired by then-first lady Hillary Clinton, according to Scheib’s official website.”
Via- CNN
And of Course, The Infamous Joan River’s Quip - Which Conspiracy Folks Believe Connects to Her Untimely Death
Joan referred to Michelle Obama as a transexual, claiming that “everybody knows it” Two months later, she was dead from a cardiac arrest during a medical procedure. To me, it’s Joan being Joan. But I’m always open to debate.
THOUGHTS - THERORIES . . . ?
So good! My theory is Tafari was there with the oldest daughter, perhaps romantically? Seems like a good reason to keep the female witness identy off the records 🤔
Jess, you are brave for covering this! It’s all been so strange & I do think it’s weird no comments from his wife or kids! Do they pay them off to stay quiet? Or do they instinctively know to stay quiet? Was there a funeral? Did the Obama’s attend? Kinda weird too.