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 fund his habit for kratom — a natural drug used to treat opioid withdrawal.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 ha...