Ex-Obama press secretary fired after allegedly swiping credit cards from colleagues to fund kratom habit

A former Barack Obama press secretary was fired from his chief communications role in Minneapolis after allegedly stealing cash and credit cards from city employees to fuel his habit for kratom — a natural drug used to treat opioid withdrawal.

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Adam Fetcher, 42, was canned from his role as Chief Communications Officer (CCO) for the City of Minneapolis after just a year on the job amid a police investigation into internal workplace theft and fraud, as well as claims of substance abuse, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

Fetcher, who made nearly $200,000 a year, is accused of stealing cash and credit cards out of the desks and purses of three fellow city hall employees, racking up hundreds of dollars in fraudulent charges at tobacco stores, reported the Star Tribune, citing sources familiar with the investigation.

Security surveillance footage reportedly shows Fetcher using one of the stolen cards to buy $481 of kratom — a herbal supplement often used to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms — at a south Minneapolis smoke shop, reported the outlet.

Under state law, card fraud of that amount would qualify as a felony-level offense if prosecutors decide to charge Fetcher.

Staff at the smoke store — less than a mile from Fetcher’s home — went to the police after a woman called claiming someone had made a transaction at the business without her permission.

The next time Fetcher made one of his frequent visits to the store, employees photographed him and followed him outside.

“We told him, ‘Hey, we know what you’re doing,’” store manager Hamza Zamara told the Star Tribune, adding that staff later provided Fetcher’s license plate number to the police.

The alleged thefts took place between May and June, just weeks after Fetcher returned from a work-approved rehab center for an unspecified substance use disorder.

In February, he took nine weeks of personal leave for treatment, returning to his duties in mid-April.

Kratom is derived from Asian plant leaves and can have both stimulant and sedative effects depending on its dosage, according to the Mayo Clinic

Often marketed as a mood booster, it is not listed as a controlled substance and can be legally purchased over the counter at local tobacco and corner stores.

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Fetcher was appointed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in July 2025, serving as the city’s first-ever cabinet-level CCO, earning a reported annual salary of almost $190,000.

He previously served as deputy national press secretary for the Obama administration, going on to hold senior communications roles in the private sector for Patagonia, Rivian, and Lyft.

But on July 1, he was abruptly dismissed from his role.

On Wednesday, an email alerting city employees to recent reports of “missing cash, debit, or credit cards,” and unauthorized charges, was sent out by City Operations Manager Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

The email did not explain the circumstances of Fetcher’s exit, but said that he was being replaced in the interim by a former communications director with the state’s Management and Budget office, Chris Kelly.

“I know this information may be concerning and troubling, and I want to assure you that the City takes this sort of report seriously and has acted accordingly,” Kelliher wrote, according to the email obtained by the Star Tribune.

“Although we cannot provide additional details, we have no reason at this time to believe there is any ongoing risk of theft,” she continued.

Fetcher’s defense attorney, Nicole Kettwick from the Minnesota firm Subramanian & Kettwick, declined to comment.

Court records show he has no other criminal history in Minnesota except for minor traffic infractions.

Police submitted a case file against Fetcher to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for potential criminal charges on Tuesday.

The case remains under review, a spokesperson for the County Attorney’s Office said.

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