As WLTR reported Monday, Tafari Campbell, Barack Obama’s personal chef, was identified as the man found dead in the water near Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard estate.
Campbell worked as White House Sous Chef during the Obama administration.
UPDATE: Man Found Dead Near Barack Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard Estate IDENTIFIED
WATCH:
🔥🚨BREAKING NEWS: Obama's personal chef, Tafari Campbell has been identified as the black male paddleboarder found dead after drowning near the former president's Martha’s Vineyard home. pic.twitter.com/bomMYNQvh6
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) July 24, 2023
After digging a little deeper, some details surrounding Campbell's tragic death don't add up.
DC Draino asked these important questions:
- Who else was with him?
- A 2nd paddleboarder was reported Was there any foul play? Pushing? Shoving?
- Was he provided a life vest? If not, why not?
- Is there video footage? I imagine Obama’s house has extensive surveillance footage
- Was he under the influence? If so, who served him and allowed him to paddleboard while drunk?
- How long did people wait to call 911 after he was submerged?
- Were any Secret Service present? If so, did they assist?
🚨We’ve now learned the man who drowned while paddleboarding in front of Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard estate was Tafari Campbell, their sous chef in the White House and current personal chef, but this raises some important questions:
Who else was with him? A 2nd paddleboarder was… pic.twitter.com/JK6xYoh7yA
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) July 24, 2023
Jordan Schachtel, publisher of The Dossier, noted an Instagram post in 2017 that suggested Campbell couldn't swim.
"Found an IG post from 2017 in which Tafari Campbell, Obama's chef, notes that he can't swim," Schachtel writes.
"He drowned last night in Martha's Vineyard while reportedly out paddle boarding with an unnamed person. Unclear why they couldn't help him out in 8 feet of water," he added.
Found an IG post from 2017 in which Tafari Campbell, Obama's chef, notes that he can't swim.
He drowned last night in Martha's Vineyard while reportedly out paddle boarding with an unnamed person. Unclear why they couldn't help him out in 8 feet of water.
Very sad. pic.twitter.com/IjxuLEhD31
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) July 24, 2023
"The Obama chef who reportedly drowned later became a proficient swimmer," Schachtel wrote in an updated post.
"More from his IG feed. This is very weird," he added.
Update:
The Obama chef who reportedly drowned later became a proficient swimmer.
More from his IG feed.
This is very weird...https://t.co/PeXuDDDkJB pic.twitter.com/cT3LCSdorP
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) July 24, 2023
In another post, Schachtel wrote it appeared Campbell became a "decent" swimmer.
Update: looks like he later became a decent swimmer. https://t.co/QfnXC3NsdG
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) July 24, 2023
Campbell reportedly drowned in eight-foot-deep water approximately 100 feet away from the shore.
We should question if this reported depth is accurate.
Yet, footage from his Instagram feed shows he's at least a decent swimmer and takes his fitness seriously.
NEW: Video footage from Tafari Campbell's Instagram page shows he was a proficient swimmer and took fitness very seriously.
Campbell, Obama's personal chef, tragically drowned in 8 feet of water after a paddleboarding accident according to authorities.
Campbell's 'Fitness'… pic.twitter.com/M0LAm48anM
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 25, 2023
There remain lots of questions about what possibly happened to Campbell.
I wonder how prificent ge was without flippers
— 🇺🇲 William XIII🇺🇲 (@Williamjr311) July 25, 2023
Politico is reporting 8 feet. It may be too early to get an accurate answer.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 25, 2023
Could have also been ocean currents.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 25, 2023
Strangely, Campbell isn't the first former White House chef to 'drown' in recent years.
A chef who worked in the White House during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations reportedly drowned in 2015.
2015: Former White House chef for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush drowned in a New Mexico mountain stream, and his death was ruled an accident
2023: Former White House chef for Obama died during an accident on a paddle boarding trip near the Obamas' Massachusetts home
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 25, 2023
Hillary and Obama both had chefs that drowned pic.twitter.com/pqiAibAQog
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 24, 2023
TIL Hillary's White House chef also drowned... Not kiddinghttps://t.co/uOTuqlVAvu pic.twitter.com/Kgf6Nmepvr
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) July 24, 2023
Reuters reported:
A former White House chef who went missing after setting off alone on a hike near Taos, New Mexico, died of accidental drowning in a mountain stream, state police said on Tuesday.
The corpse of Walter Scheib, 61, hidden by dense vegetation and down a steep slope about 25 yards off a hiking trail, was discovered with the help of a search dog.
“Responding officers did not observe any indication of suspicious circumstances or foul play,” police said in a statement, adding that no items or provisions belonging to Scheib had been found in the area.
Scheib’s body was submerged, the statement said, and an autopsy determined the cause and nature of his death.
Authorities have said that the chef recently moved to the area, and that on June 13 he embarked alone on the Yerba Canyon trail, which reaches altitudes above 12,000 feet.
His car was found parked at the trailhead a week ago, and his body was found on Sunday evening.
Scheib served as White House executive chef under Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from 1994 until 2005.
Daily Mail added:
His body was discovered approximately 1.7 miles from the base of the Yerba Canyon trail where he had been hiking, authorities said in a statement.
He was 'submerged in a mountain drainage flowing with surface runoff.'
The area had seen treacherous conditions reported as thunderstorms shook the mountains on the day Scheib was descending around a mountain called Lobo Peak.
Police said that the chef, who was wearing a windbreaker jacket, running pants and sneakers, was found 25 yards away from the trail.
They said his body was hidden from those searching along the trail by 'dense vegetation and a steep, rocky decline'.
The New Mexico Department of Public Safety previously told the Taos News that data obtained from Scheib's cellphone suggested he could have encountered trouble during his descent.
'It's very dangerous to get down to the river,' incident commander Richard Goldstein said. ''The water is running very fast.'
His phone last made contact with a cellular signal around the Lobo Peak area at about 3pm on June 13, the day he set off for his hike.
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