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 and obtained a law degree at George Mason University.
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 1992-1997.
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. 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." 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. 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 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.
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. 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.
Pending 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. 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.
