Fact-checking conspiracy theories about death of Obamas’ personal chef

When people in the orbit of famous politicians die — such as Tafari Campbell, a former White House sous chef and a personal chef hired by Barack and Michelle Obama — it often sparks baseless theories about the politicians’ involvement. As these theories go, the deceased allegedly knew too much about a supposed crime, or stood in the way of political ambitions.

These conspiracy theories claim that public officials cover up for these crimes by linking the deaths to suicides, plane crashes, fatal shootings or accidents. Bill and Hillary Clinton in particular are associated with a fictitious "body count."

A new flurry of these kinds of claims followed when Campbell, 45, died recently while paddleboarding on Edgartown Great Pond near the Obamas’ home on Martha’s Vineyard.

Another unnamed paddleboarder saw Campbell go into the water July 23 and struggle to stay afloat. Rescue workers searched but didn’t find Campbell’s body until the next morning. Massachusetts State Police have said there is nothing suspicious about Campbell’s death, and Barack and Michelle Obama were not home when he went missing.

Still, social media users have baselessly suggested Barack Obama was involved.

Here, we fact-checked some false claims about Campbell’s death that have been circulating on social media.

Some social media posts have claimed that Campbell’s body was found with blunt force trauma, including this post on X (formerly Twitter) that as of Aug. 1 had more than 4 million views.

Responding personnel and a medical examiner’s exam revealed no external trauma or injuries, state police said July 25 in a statement provided to PolitiFact by the Obamas’ spokesperson. Dave Procopio, a Massachusetts State Police spokesperson, confirmed that his agency had issued the statement, which was not posted on its public channels.

The police said the initial post-mortem exam by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner "found no evidence that the death was suspicious."

The autopsy report hasn’t been released pending toxicology reports, so no official cause of death has been announced. That may take several weeks, police said. 

State police said the unidentified paddle boarder who was on the pond with Campbell swam to him but couldn’t reach him in time, then swam ashore and notified another person, who called 911. Campbell was not wearing a floatation device, nor was he leashed to the paddleboard, police said. 

The same post on X that falsely claimed Campbell suffered head trauma also baselessly claimed the "Obamas called of(f) the autopsy being performed by the local authorities and flew their own mortician from D.C. to perform the autopsy." 

Private citizens, even former presidents, don’t have the authority to determine who conducts an official autopsy, and that task wouldn’t be done by a "mortician," which is a broad term describing people who prepare bodies for funerals.

In Massachusetts, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner investigates the cause and manner of deaths that occur under violent, suspicious or unexplained circumstances. 

That claim was made by several people to argue that it was impossible Campbell could have drowned. 

Although the pond does have a mean depth of 3 to 4 feet, according to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, Massachusetts State Police said Campbell’s body was found about 100 feet from shore in about 8 feet of water. 

A state police spokesperson reiterated the water depth where Campbell was found in a July 31 statement to The Associated Press.

Some posts claim that the Obamas changed their story about where they were when Campbell died.

But the only public comments the Obamas have given came in a July 24 statement to some media outlets praising Campbell, calling him a "beloved part of our family."

Massachusetts State Police initially said July 24 that Barack and Michelle Obama were not at their home the night Campbell went missing; they haven’t said where they were. A state police spokesperson said again in a July 26 statement to the AP that the Obamas were not in the house the night Campbell went missing and that no members of the Obama family were with him on the pond.

The Boston Globe reported July 24 that Barack Obama’s office said he and Michelle were elsewhere on the island at the time.

A spokesperson for Obama’s office told PolitiFact Aug. 1 they had no further comment.

Some posts claim the 911 call about Campbell wasn’t made until his body was found the day after he went missing. 

A state police spokesperson told the AP that the 911 call was made shortly after Campbell went underwater. 

Massachusetts State Police in a July 23 news release said police and fire crews responded to the scene at 7:46 p.m. July 23 and began searching for Campbell. His body wasn’t found until about 10 a.m. July 24, they said in a followup release.

We rated this claim False. Photos of Obama golfing July 28, days after Campbell’s body was found, show him with bandages or tape on some of his fingers. Golfers routinely wear golfers’ tape to protect against blisters or split calluses. Past photos of Obama show him wearing similar tape on his fingers while golfing.