Staff Reports
In a news release on Tuesday, conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch announced that it received 31 pages of newly released materials relating to the death of former Obama chef Tafari Campbell on July 23. According to the records, the U.S. Secret Service boats at the scene that evening malfunctioned and were unable to function properly, requiring agents to borrow a boat from the groundskeeper. An emailed memo revealed that the supervisory special agent had difficulty starting one of the boats and had to sprint to the command post to retrieve the keys. Despite this effort, the second boat also encountered motor issues. Agents eventually had to resort to using a third boat from the groundskeeper, which worked without any problems.
Although it is unclear if the malfunctioning boats had any practical effect on Campbell’s drowning, as a surviving witness previously claimed that it was already too late when the incident occurred, it is still concerning that the Secret Service, entrusted with the safety of the nation’s leaders, did not ensure the proper functioning of their equipment. If there had been an opportunity to save Campbell, the delays caused by the faulty boats could have potentially cost him his life.
Secret Service Agents Ran Into Problem When Trying to Rescue Obama’s Chef, Just-Released Documents Show pic.twitter.com/VWcfVuc2xl
— The Liberty Loft (@thelibertyloft) December 14, 2023
Judicial Watch, a self-described conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, had filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act in October to obtain these records. The organization argues that the newly released information may explain why the Secret Service has been withholding video footage related to Campbell’s drowning. Previous records obtained by Judicial Watch indicated that Campbell’s death was ruled accidental and no foul play was detected. However, it was noted that Campbell was not wearing a life vest or tethered to his paddleboard at the time of the incident.
