Charles Douglas "Cully" Stimson (born June 13, 1963) is an American lawyer and government official. Stimson served as the
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs (DASD-DA) is a political appointment created by United States President George W. Bush. The appointee has responsibility for captives apprehended during the "war on terror". ''The New Yo ...
from 2005 until his resignation on February 2, 2007, following a controversy about his statements on legal representation for prisoners at
Guantánamo Bay. Following his time in the
George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...
, Stimson joined
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
, where he is currently a senior legal fellow and manager of the National Security Law Program. Earlier in his career, Stimson served as an Assistant
United States Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and as Vice President for Private Equity Mergers & Acquisitions at
Marsh & McLennan Companies
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., doing business as Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm, headquartered in New York City with businesses in insurance brokerage, risk management, reinsurance services, talent management, investme ...
.
[
][
]
Background
Stimson is the son of Douglas Joseph Stimson, chairman emeritus of the family's Seattle-based real estate holding firm, the
C.D. Stimson Co., and Virginia Mullane. He has a sister Lori. He studied at
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is ...
and obtained a
J.D. degree at
George Mason University.
[
]
Career
Defense department
Detainee Affairs
The Pentagon created the Office of Detainee Affairs, and with it Stimson's post, in July 2004:
An as-yet-unnamed deputy assistant secretary who will report to the undersecretary for policy will head the office. The new deputy will chair a joint committee composed of the undersecretary for intelligence and representatives from the Joint Staff, the Office of General Counsel, the Department of the Army, and others who might be involved in detainee affairs.
Stimson, an attorney by profession, was formerly a U.S. Navy JAG officer from 1992 to 1997.
Guantanamo Bay detention camp
Stimson first received press attention in October 2006, when he told Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
that more than 300 Guantánamo
Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.
Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditi ...
detainees might remain there for the rest of their lives because nations refused to accept them.
In January 2007, he made comments concerning the legal representation of Guantánamo
Guantánamo (, , ) is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.
Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port near the site of a U.S. naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool. These are traditi ...
detainees stating that "corporate CEOs seeing this should ask firms to choose between lucrative retainers and representing terrorists." The Pentagon later issued a statement that Stimson's comments were not representative of Pentagon policy.[
]
On January 17, 2007, Stimson wrote a letter of apology, published in ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. His apology was criticized by ''The New York Times'' in an editorial, for the appearance of insincerity. In 2017, Stimson said his comments made one decade ago were a mistake that do not represent his professional views: "I made a boneheaded statement, quite frankly it was an emotional response generated by my loss of my 295 colleagues who...were killed on 9/11 at the World Trade Center."
Resignation
On February 2, 2007, a Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
spokesman announced that Stimson had decided to resign because the controversy had "hampered his ability to be effective in" his office. Stimson said that the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates
Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush a ...
, had not asked him to resign.
Business
Stimson serves as vice-chair of his family's commercial real estate company in Seattle.[
]
Heritage Foundation
Stimson is currently a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
, a conservative think-tank, and an instructor at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...
. In September 2010 he authored a report entitled "Just Say No" asserting that California's proposed Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 would "worsen the state’s drug problems—addiction, violence, disorder, and death". Stimson continues to write on detainee issues.
Unsuccessful Navy nomination
Stimson was a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG", is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 commissioned officers serving as judge advocates, 30 Lim ...
, reserve component and is the Commanding Officer of the Navy Appellate Government unit. In June 2017, President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
nominated Stimson to become General Counsel of the Navy
The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the U.S. Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice ...
. In July 2017, the nomination was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Failing to receive consideration by the full Senate, it was returned to the President at the beginning of 2018. The nomination was resubmitted in January 2018 and again reported favorably by the Committee on Armed Services in May 2018. Failing to receive consideration by the full Senate for a second time, it was returned to the President at the beginning of 2019.
Personal life
Stimson is a contributor to the Federalist Society
The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (abbreviated as FedSoc) is an American conservative and libertarian legal organization that advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Headquarter ...
.[
Stimson is chairman of the board of directors for the U.S. Soccer Foundation.]
References
External links
Biography at Heritage Foundation
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stimson, Charles
1963 births
The Heritage Foundation
Living people
United States Department of Defense officials
George W. Bush administration personnel
Trump administration personnel
Kenyon College alumni
Antonin Scalia Law School alumni
21st-century American lawyers