Obama Chef Death Secrets Exposed
Police Records Show Secret Service Reported Obama’s Chef Was Missing
Judicial Watch Sues Biden Agencies Over Social Media Censorship
Biden Agency Abruptly Replaces Federal Air Marshal Director—Fourth Time in as Many Years
Soros-Funded Initiative at Public University Trains Social Justice Reporters
Police Records Show Secret Service Reported Obama’s Chef Was Missing
The tragic drowning of the Obamas’ chef on Martha’s Vineyard a month ago drew national attention, but state and local authorities who investigated haven’t been eager to share the details in a timely manner.
After we made a request through the Massachusetts Public Records Law, we received 18 pages of records from the Edgarton, MA, Police Department that show the Secret Service reported Obama’s Personal Chef, Tafari Campbell, missing and that the body was found using sonar.
The records also report that Campbell’s clothing was found separate from the body and that he was not wearing a life vest. Several other important details were redacted regarding the July 23, 2023, drowning on Martha’s Vineyard.
The records, released yesterday, include a July 23 CAD (computer aided dispatch) Incident Report:
Secret Service Agent [redacted] adv swimmers unable to locate the party at this time. Party last scene [sic] wearing all black, on a paddle board, African American male.
Rev’vd a 911 call from the above noted RP [reporting person] who identified as a Secret Service member. RP is req [requesting] at least an ambulance response, unsure of the exact services needed.
RP advd best access is from the residence, they are deploying a rescue swimmer and a zodiac boat right now.
RP adv no lifevest was worn, they have recovered the paddle board and clothing. Still no contact with missing party. They still have a boat and rescue swimmers in the area.
At 8:25 p.m., the report notes that the Oak Bluffs Fire Department was sending a dive team. At 8:36 p.m., a Coast guard helicopter was deployed, as was a state police helicopter.
In the reports sent by Polce Chief Bruce McNamee, the names of a witness and a Secret Service agent are removed. In his email transmitting the reports, McNamee writes;
Per the request of the Ma State Police, the names of the witness and USSS agent have been redacted.
The police and fire departments made their base of operations at Wilson’s Landing, a popular boat launch. Search and dive teams from Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury joined the search.
The next day, Sgt. William Bishop writes:
Once on location [Wilson’s Landing] we established a command post. I requested through MSP a search helicopter, and Chief Schaeffer requested a USCG helicopter as well. Search & Dive teams from Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury responded via mutual aid. An extensive search began for several hours. A last known location was established, and Trooper Shaw of MSP also assisted with operations.
I instructed Officer Guest and Officer Dacey to commence a shoreline search effort starting from the closest house and working outward. Both Officers checked every house with waterfront access in the search area. Unfortunately, the search did not yield and results.
Both air wings conducted a search until their fuel supply forced a return to base.
At or about 11PM the dive and land search was suspended. Edgartown and Oak Bluffs Fire planned to continue a grid search by boat for the remainder of the night. At first light, dive team operations will continue. During the duration of this incident the entrance to Wilson’s Landing was closed as to give responders room to work.
The next morning the dive team search continued, and a deceased Mr. Campbell was located using sonar. The investigation will now be handled by Massachusetts State Police and The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office. No further action.
It is concerning that we had to push and push for information on this tragic death, such as the new revelation that the Obama’s Secret Service protection reported Mr. Campbell missing.
Judicial Watch Sues Biden Agencies over Social Media Censorship
“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press …”
Apparently, the Biden administration can’t find the First Amendment to our Constitution. More likely, it can find it but chooses to ignore it.
We filed two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies for communications between the agencies and Facebook and Twitter regarding the government’s involvement in content moderation and censorship on the social media platforms.
We filed a lawsuit against the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (No. 1:23-cv-01161)) after the FBI failed to respond to a November 2, 2022, FOIA request for:
All records related to the use of Facebook’s Content Request Government Reporting System by any official, employee, or contract employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This request includes, but is not limited to, the following:
All entries entered into the system by any official or employee.
All records depicting the number of FBI employees with access to the system and their positions with the Bureau.
All policies, regulations, guidelines, or similar records related to the use of the system.
All related records of communication between any official or employee of the FBI and any officer, employee, or representative of Meta, Inc. (formerly Facebook, Inc.)
All related records of communication between any official or employee of the FBI and any official or employee of any other branch, department, agency, or office of the Federal government.
The lawsuit includes November 2, 2022, FOIA requests from us to the DOJ National Security Division, and DHS component Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency.
The lawsuit cites an October 31, 2022, report by The Intercept that details DHS involvement in an “expansive effort” to “influence tech platforms.”
“Behind closed doors, and through pressure on private platforms, the U.S. government has used its power to try to shape online discourse,” the report says.
The Intercept report states: “There is also a formalized process for government officials to directly flag content on Facebook or Instagram and request that it be throttled or suppressed through a special Facebook portal that requires a government or law enforcement email to use.”
We also filed a lawsuit against the DOJ, DHS, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) after the FBI failed to respond to a December 14, 2022, FOIA request (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:23-cv-01163)) for:
All records regarding any meeting between any official or employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and any of the following Twitter employees between June 1, 2020 and the present:
Yoel Roth
Vijaya Gadde
Jim Baker
The request includes, but is not limited to, all related agenda, notes, summaries, reports, transcripts, and similar records created in preparation for, during, or pursuant to the meeting.
All records of communication between any official or employee f the Federal Bureau of Investigation and any of the following Twitter employees between June 1, 2020 and the present:
Yoel Roth
Vijaya Gadde
Jim Baker
All records of communication between any official or employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and any official or employee of any other branch, department, agency, or office of the U.S. government regarding the meetings or communications described in parts one and two of this request between June 1, 2020 and the present.
We also sent December 14, 2022, FOIA requests to DHS and ODNI.
Roth, Gadde, and Baker were prominent in internal discussions at Twitter about censoring the New York Post Hunter Biden laptop story, journalist Matt Taibbi revealed on December 2, 2022 in the first release of the “Twitter Files.”
The Biden administration’s ongoing censorship schemes are a clear and present danger to the First Amendment. It is no surprise these Biden agencies would hide documents that could further expose their lawlessness.
We have been quite busy litigating First Amendment issues.
In June 2023, we sued DHS for all records of communications tied to the Election Integrity Partnership. Based on representations from the EIP (see here and here), the federal government, social media companies, the EIP, the Center for Internet Security (a non-profit organization funded partly by DHS and the Defense Department) and numerous other leftist groups communicated privately via the Jira software platform developed by Atlassian.
In February 2023, we sued the U.S. Department Homeland Security (DHS) for records showing cooperation between the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) and social media platforms to censor and suppress free speech.
In January 2023 we sued the DOJ for records of communications between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and social media sites regarding foreign influence in elections, as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story.
In September 2022, we sued the Secretary of State of the State of California for having YouTube censor a Judicial Watch election integrity video.
In May 2022, YouTube censored our video about Biden corruption and election integrity issues in the 2020 election. The video, titled “Impeach? Biden Corruption Threatens National Security,” was falsely determined to be “election misinformation” and removed by YouTube, and Judicial Watch’s YouTube account was suspended for a week. The video featured an interview of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. Judicial Watch continues to post its video content on its Rumble channel (https://rumble.com/vz7aof-fitton-impeach-biden-corruption-threatens-national-security.html).
In July 2021, we uncovered records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which revealed that Facebook coordinated closely with the CDC to control the COVID narrative and “misinformation” and that over $3.5 million in free advertising given to the CDC by social media companies.
In May 2021, we revealed documents showing that Iowa state officials pressured social media companies Twitter and Facebook to censor posts about the 2020 election.
And in April 2021, we published documents revealing how California state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google (YouTube)) to censor posts about the 2020 election.
This mass censorship is a clear and present danger to the First Amendment, so you can be sure Judicial Watch will keep on pushing hard to protect your rights.
Biden Agency Abruptly Replaces Federal Air Marshal Director—Fourth Time in as Many Years
The Biden administration is incompetent at securing our safety in many ways. One is its mishandling of the security air marshal program, as our Corruption Chronicles blog reports.
The Biden administration has abruptly—and quietly—replaced the scandal-plagued director of the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), marking the fourth time in around as many years that the agency gets a new leader. Such frequent turnover at the top illustrates the instability that has prevailed at FAMS, which operates under the beleaguered Transportation Security Administration (TSA), created after 9/11 to prevent another terrorist attack. Both function under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and have been rocked by controversy and mismanagement that has left the nation vulnerable from a security standpoint, according to multiple DHS sources interviewed by Judicial Watch.
The latest FAMS director to get ousted, Tirrell Stevenson, has been quietly replaced on an “acting” basis by Brian C. Belcher, according to an agency memo dispersed to staff a few days ago. Publicly, the move is being handled by simply eliminating Stevenson’s biography and photo on the TSA Leadership and Organization page and replacing it with Belcher’s with no further explanation. FAMS sources provided Judicial Watch with the memo informing staff that as of August 14 Belcher, a FAMS deputy executive assistant, “assumed the duties of Acting Executive Assistant Administrator (EAA)/Director for LE/FAMS.” The move was sudden, according to FAMS sources. In his short tenure—a little over a year—as FAMS director, Stevenson was reportedly embroiled in widespread wrongdoing, waste, fraud and abuse and many inside the agency have called on Congress to intervene. Stevenson’s transgressions include misusing government resources by deploying FAMS to the southern border, greatly compromising the security of the nation’s aviation system. Stevenson also removed air marshals from missions to send them to military bases for Afghan refugees.
Judicial Watch has reported extensively on the lapses, including the controversial deployments of his uniquely skilled law enforcement officers to the Mexican border to perform duties unrelated to transportation, such as welfare checks, hospital watch and chauffeuring illegal immigrants. Keep in mind that air marshals are highly trained aviation security specialists charged with protecting commercial passenger flights by deterring and countering the risk of terrorist activity. The Air Marshal National Council, which represents thousands of FAMS nationwide, has accused Stevenson and TSA Administrator David Pekoske of violating federal law and overstepping their authority for assigning the air marshals to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with the migrant crisis. Air marshals interviewed by Judicial Watch expressed outrage that they were being pulled from their critical inflight security duties to assist with the mayhem created by the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies.
Shortly after the Mexican border deployments, which sent 150-200 FAM monthly to the region, high-level DHS sources disclosed that Al Qaeda was planning attacks in the U.S. involving planes. An intelligence alert obtained by Judicial Watch warned that “Al-Qaeda says upcoming attacks on US, possibly involving planes, will use new techniques and tactics.” Hours after learning about the Al Qaeda threat, the Air Marshal National Council fired off a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as well as Pekoske and Stevenson reminding them that deploying FAMS to the southern border to perform humanitarian work is reckless and putting the nation at extreme risk. “We are once again requesting you immediately stop these dangerous and unnecessary deployments and let our FAMS do what the American taxpayers pay them to do, protect and defend our transportation system,” the letter read.
Removing yet another seemingly inept director is not going to improve the embedded problems at FAMS, many inside the agency maintain. The solution lies with Congress, says the Air Marshal National Council, which is pushing legislation it claims will help reform the agency in desperate need of new leadership. The measure is known as the Federal Air Marshal Service Reform and Reorganization Act and it would make FAMS a specialty unit within DHS’s premier law enforcement agency, Homeland Security Investigations (HIS). Getting rid of Stevenson may be a step in the right direction, but it will not be enough to turn this critical agency around, according to Homeland Security sources interviewed by Judicial Watch. “Director Stevenson is one of several prior Air Marshal Directors to be involved in scandals,” said Air Marshal National Council President David Londo. “It’s time for Congress to enact the Federal Air Marshal Reform and Reorganization Act.”
Soros-Funded Initiative at Public University Trains Social Justice Reporters
Billionaire and leftist George Soros continues to have significant influence through his significant charitable and political giving. Our Corruption Chronicles blog connects the dots on how he is influencing the next generation of journalists:
As if the mainstream media were not leftist enough, a nationally ranked public university has launched a race-focused journalism center that trains future reporters to abandon objectivity for social justice in news coverage. It is called the Solidarity Journalism Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin and leftwing billionaire George Soros is among those funding it. The new enterprise is part of the school’s Center for Media Engagement and it aims to help journalists, journalism educators, and journalism students improve coverage of marginalized communities. “Solidarity in journalism means that journalists stand for basic human dignity and against suffering, and is practiced through newsworthiness judgments, sourcing, and framing that center the lived experiences of people subjected to unjust conditions,” according to the university’s Center for Media Engagement website.
The professor who founded the Solidarity Journalism Initiative, Anita Varma, does not even pretend that the media should be objective like some well-known news outlets falsely claim to be. She asserts that “solidarity eclipses objectivity as journalism’s dominant ideal” and her goal is to educate the next generation of reporters in this ultra-leftist concept by, among other things, training them to frame articles in solidarity towards those considered to be marginalized. “Solidarity for social justice moves journalism in a better direction,” according to Varma, who claims objectivity as an aspirational ideal encourages journalists to avoid addressing what matters. “In journalism, solidarity takes the form of including the perspectives of communities who have long been shut out of representations of injustices affecting their own lives,” the center’s founder says. “Most importantly, solidarity in journalistic practice connects the dots to reveal the ways that social injustice binds people from being able to simply choose to improve their conditions.”
Future reporters at the public university’s journalism center are taught that a story is “newsworthy if it involves a community whose basic humanity is being disrespected or denied.” This includes communities experiencing exclusion, systemic violence or disenfranchisement. As an example, the journalism center writes in its SolidarityReporting Guide that if a group lacks basic safety, shelter, healthcare or food, there is likely a solidarity story to report. Future reporters at UT Austin will also learn to refrain from using systemically offensive terms such as “inmate” or “convict” which are significantly different from referring to a person who is incarcerated. “Reporting in solidarity means paying attention to how people self-identify, the significance of the labels your story uses, and the norms in the community you’re covering,” according to the reporting guide. “Explaining word choices can be a useful and important sidebar in many solidarity stories.”
The curriculum promotes a specific formula involving the criteria to meet newsworthy decisions in solidarity. They include intragroup solidarity, which is defined as communities taking care of themselves and therefore portraying power in the community affected by social injustice, challenging dominant narratives; moral solidarity in which inhumane conditions that marginalized people cannot change or remedy on their own; civic solidarity in which people are taking action to address injustice that affects their neighbors; political solidarity where people are calling for dismantling structures that uphold social injustice, such as capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and colonialism. “Solidarity stories are rare compared to stories about politicians or celebrities, which may be intriguing for editors who are looking for distinctive angles,” according to the document outlining the criteria.
This is the type of leftwing initiative that typically gets money from Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF). Judicial Watch has reported extensively on Soros’ multi-billion-dollar radical globalist agenda which domestically promotes an open border with Mexico, fomenting racial disharmony by funding anti-capitalist black separationist organizations, financing the Black Lives Matter movement and other groups involved in the Ferguson Missouri riots, weakening the integrity of the nation’s electoral systems, opposing U.S. counterterrorism efforts and eroding 2nd Amendment protections. A few years ago Judicial Watch published an investigative report on the financial and staffing nexus between the deeply OSF and the U.S. government.
Until next week,
TOP NEWS
