On Wednesday, July 5, US Secret Service confirmed following a lab test that the white substance found at the White House on Sunday was indeed cocaine.
On Sunday, July 2, the powder was found in a clear plastic bag by Secret Service officials in the West Wing entry area during a routine White House sweep.
According to a law enforcement official, the cocaine was not discovered on the ground (as several media reports claimed), but in a cubby where visitors entering the West Wing are asked to leave their phones. Staff who are unable to bring their phones into an SCIF, or a sensitive compartmented information facility, where classified materials are handled, can also use these cubbies.
The West Wing entry area is said to be a heavily trafficked area which implies that it is highly unlikely that the source of the drug could be determined. The chances of finding the culprit are also quite slim.
On the question of finding the culprit, an official told Politico, “It is going to be very difficult for us to do that because of where it was. Even if there were surveillance cameras, unless you were waving it around, it may not have been caught by the cameras. It’s a bit of a thoroughfare. People walk by there all the time.”
When asked about the incident on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasised that the investigation is under the purview of the Secret Service and stated that she is “confident” they will get to the bottom of it.
The White House “is subject to rigorous guidelines that include drug testing, and so we will take any action that is appropriate and warranted, pending the outcome of the Secret Service,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that she would not “get into hypotheticals.”
Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly refuses to answer questions on the cocaine found in the West Wing.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 5, 2023
“Can you explain why you can’t explain it?” pic.twitter.com/OSgnE09HCQ
The press secretary also said that President Joe Biden who returned from a weekend holiday has been briefed about the situation.
“The president thinks it’s very important to get to the bottom of this,” Jean-Pierre said
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Tom Cotton, senator from Arkansas, wrote to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, seeking information about where the cocaine was discovered. He also requested answers by July 14 to his six questions concerning access to the White House, other instances of illegal drugs being found in the complex, and security procedures.
Congress and the American people deserve to know how cocaine got into the White House. pic.twitter.com/Fps9AJ6hSQ
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 5, 2023
“If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws,” Cotton stated in his letter.
On Sunday night, around 6 PM, a Secret Service division officer in uniform discovered cocaine. Because the officer was unaware of what the substance was, the White House’s security was briefly increased. The District of Columbia Fire Department was called, and the substance was determined to be “non-hazardous”, and sent to a central lab for further testing.
