Charles Stimson

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 from 2005 until his resignation on February 2, 2007, following a controversy about his statements on legal representation for prisoners at Guantánamo Bay.[1][2] Following his time in the George W. Bush administration, Stimson joined The Heritage Foundation, 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 for the District of Columbia and as Vice President for Private Equity Mergers & Acquisitions at Marsh & McLennan Companies.[3][4]

Charles Stimson
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs
In office
2005 – February 2, 2007
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byMatthew Waxman
Succeeded bySandra Hodgkinson
Personal details
Born
Charles Douglas Stimson

(1963-06-13) June 13, 1963
EducationKenyon College
George Mason University

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.[5][6] He studied at Kenyon College and obtained a law degree at George Mason University.[3]

Career

Detainee Affairs

The Pentagon created the Office of Detainee Affairs, and with it Stimson's post, in July 2004:[7][8]

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.[9]

Guantanamo Bay detention camp

Stimson first received press attention in October 2006, when he told Reuters that more than 300 Guantánamo detainees might remain there for the rest of their lives because nations refused to accept them.[10]

In January 2007, he made comments concerning the legal representation of Guantánamo detainees stating that "corporate CEOs seeing this should ask firms to choose between lucrative retainers and representing terrorists."[11] The Pentagon later issued a statement that Stimson's comments were not representative of Pentagon policy.[12][13]

On January 17, 2007, Stimson wrote a letter of apology, published in The Washington Post.[14][15][16] His apology was criticized by The New York Times in an editorial, for the appearance of insincerity.[17] 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."[18]

Resignation

On February 2, 2007, a Department of Defense 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, had not asked him to resign.[19]

Business

Stimson serves as vice-chair of his family's commercial real estate company in Seattle.[3]

Heritage Foundation

Stimson is currently a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, and an instructor at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island.[20] 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".[21] Stimson continues to write on detainee issues.[22]

Unsuccessful Navy nomination

Stimson was a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, reserve component and is the Commanding Officer of the Navy Appellate Government unit. In June 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Stimson to become General Counsel of the Navy.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25]

Personal life

Stimson is a contributor to the Federalist Society.[4]

Stimson is chairman of the board of directors for the U.S. Soccer Foundation.[26]

References
  1. "Official Resigns Over Gitmo Lawyer Remarks". CBS News. Associated Press. February 2, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
  2. "Pentagon Official Who Criticized Detainee Lawyers Quits". The Washington Post. February 3, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
  3. "Charles "Cully" Stimson". Heritage Foundation. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  4. "Charles D. Stimson". Federalist Society. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  5. "Douglas J. Stimson, 80". The Washington Post. September 2, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  6. "Virginia M. Stimson". The Washington Post. October 9, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  7. Quigley, Samantha (July 4, 2004). "DoD Creates Office of Detainee Affairs". DefenseLINK News. Archived from the original on January 16, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  8. Porth, Jacqueline S. (July 16, 2004). "Pentagon Creates New Policy Office to Review Detainee Issues". U.S. Department of State USINFO. Archived from the original on April 12, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
  9. "Eye of the Storm". Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  10. Schulman, Leslie (October 29, 2006). "DOD official says some Guantanamo detainees may be imprisoned for life". Jurist. Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  11. Lewis, Neil (January 13, 2007). "Official attacks top law firms over detainees". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  12. Heilprin, John (January 13, 2007). "Pentagon disavows comment on detainees". Newsvine. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  13. Mary Pat Gallagher (January 18, 2007). "Bush Official Apologizes for Slap at Guantanamo Detainees' Lawyers". New Jersey Law Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  14. Stimson, Charles (January 17, 2007). "An Apology to Detainees' Attorneys". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  15. Abruzzes, Sarah (February 3, 2007). "Official Quits After Remark on Lawyers". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2008. Mr. Stimson, a former Navy defense lawyer, wrote an apology published in The Washington Post, saying the remarks did not reflect his "core beliefs."
  16. "Pentagon Official Apologizes for Remarks". The New York Times. January 17, 2007.
  17. "Apology Not Accepted". The New York Times. January 19, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  18. Tritten, Travis (July 12, 2017). "Trump Pentagon nominee Charles Stimson: I made 'boneheaded' mistake in Guantanamo Bay controversy". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  19. Jelinek, Pauline (February 2, 2007). "Defense Official Resigns Over Remarks". San Francisco Chronicle.
  20. "Charles Stimson: Senior Legal Fellow". Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008. He is currently a Senior Instructor at the Naval Justice School in Newport, R.I., where he teaches active duty JAGS.
  21. Charles Stimson, "Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No", Heritage Foundation Legal Memorandum, September 13, 2010
  22. Charles Stimson (October 17, 2011). "Common-Sense Principles for Detainee Policy". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  23. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". The White House. June 5, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  24. "PN554 — Charles Douglas Stimson — Department of Defense". U.S. Congress. January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  25. "PN1347 — Charles Douglas Stimson — Department of Defense". U.S. Congress. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  26. "U.S. Soccer Foundation adds Nathanson, Slaton to Board of Directors". Soccer Wire. January 19, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
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