Secret Service found cocaine at the White House when Biden was away, AP sources say

Table Of Content

• Majority of Voters Say Donald Trump Was a Success, Joe Biden Is a Failure
• Investigation
• No fingerprints, DNA sample or leads from cocaine found at the White House, the Secret Service says
• Suspicious powder found at the White House was cocaine, sources say
• The Founding Fathers Couldn't Have Foreseen Trump—But They Immunized Him
• We've finally found an issue that unites the country — Trump's potential VP pick shooting her dog

Officers found the cocaine during "routine patrols," a Secret Service official said. "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 said. Asked about the incident Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that the investigation is under the Secret Service's purview and said she is "confident" they will get to the bottom of the situation. He, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and members of their family departed for Camp David on Friday. They returned to the White House on Tuesday for an event with the National Education Association and Fourth of July festivities.

Majority of Voters Say Donald Trump Was a Success, Joe Biden Is a Failure

The Situation Room, located in the West Wing, where staffers would also drop their phones before entering, has been undergoing construction work and was not in use at the time the baggie was found, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said last week. But the lab results didn’t turn up latent fingerprints or DNA, so agents can’t compare anything to the possible suspect pool. The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI’s crime laboratory, according to the summary. Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center analyzed the item for any biothreats.

Investigation

Testing conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department indicated that the found powder tested preliminarily positive for the presence of cocaine. Department of Homeland Security's National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which analyzed the item for any biothreats. Tests conducted at this facility came back negative and gave formal confirmation that the substance was not biological in nature.

No fingerprints, DNA sample or leads from cocaine found at the White House, the Secret Service says

"The last time I was in D.C. I left my cocaine at the White House," said Jost, referring to the mysterious bag of the drug found there last July. "Luckily, the president was able to put it to good use for his State of the Union. I am kidding, of course. The president doesn’t call it cocaine. He calls it high-speed rail." Colin Jost had his work cut out for him at the 2024 White House Correspondents' dinner.

Suspicious powder found at the White House was cocaine, sources say

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden had departed the White House two days before the drug’s discovery to spend a long weekend at Camp David. The substance was discovered by members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service conducting routine rounds through the building, Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told Newsweek. It's hardly the first time recreational drugs have entered White House grounds — country music legend Willie Nelson once smoked marijuana with the son of President Jimmy Carter on the building's roof. Additionally, rapper and marijuana enthusiast Snoop Dogg said he once smoked a joint in a White House bathroom. According to the New York Times, the Secret Service is investigating the origins of the substance, which was deemed cocaine by a hazardous materials team following testing.

The Founding Fathers Couldn't Have Foreseen Trump—But They Immunized Him

Additionally, investigators were considering the high volume of people who walk through the area. We found social media posts that claimed the cocaine was found in various places around the White House, such as the above-displayed Facebook post that claimed it was found in an area where President Biden often worked. Tests later showed the powder was cocaine, according to reputable news publications. Lawmakers who attended the briefing confirmed that the Secret Service's investigation will conclude with no determination of who the cocaine belonged to, leaving Republicans exasperated and with more questions.

First on CNN: Secret Service concludes cocaine investigation, no suspect identified - CNN

First on CNN: Secret Service concludes cocaine investigation, no suspect identified.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

“The only people who are going to benefit are big law firms in Washington, DC, because they are going to go after every single president. They will start with Obama, Fast and Furious, right, where he gives 2,000 weapons to cartel members,” Eric Trump mused. By mounting the presidential immunity challenge, the elder Trump managed to delay the 2020 election subversion trial, which was supposed to commence on March 4. White House staff are required to submit to drug testing, but visitors to the executive mansion are not. “And I have been very clear, I was clear two days ago when talking about this over and over again as I was being asked the question, as you know, and media outlets reported this, the Biden family was not here,” she added, declining to answer the question put to her. The Post confronted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the dime-size coke bag during a July 7 briefing, requesting that she rule out the possibility of it coming from a Biden family member.

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Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation. Secret Service Uniformed Division found an unknown substance inside a vestibule leading to the lobby area of the West Executive Avenue entrance to the White House. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter Wednesday asking Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to release information about where the cocaine was found.

The U.S. Secret Service takes its mission to protect U.S. leaders, facilities, and events seriously and we are constantly adapting to meet the needs of the current and future security environment. Unlike some other federal entities, the Secret Services does not have drug-sniffing dogs. If an officer encounters a powder or substance on White House grounds or in surrounding areas, they routinely request the assistance of D.C. An initial test of the substance conducted by the District of Columbia Fire Department soon after it was found indicated it was cocaine, and the additional test took place Tuesday night. "They are currently investigating what happened over the weekend. So I would have to refer you to the Secret Service, the Secret Service, on all of this."

Secret Service ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads - NBC News

Secret Service ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gugliemi said the agency determined that interviewing all 500 people could be a strain on resources, might infringe upon civil liberties and would likely be fruitless without corresponding physical evidence tying any person to the drugs. WASHINGTON — Multiple officials involved in the White House cocaine inquiry now say the bag of powder was found in a cubby near the White House's West Executive entrance, not the formal West Wing lobby, as was previously reported. More testing was done to review the chemical composition of the powder, the statement continued. WASHINGTON — The mystery of who brought cocaine into the White House remains unsolved. The Secret Service investigation has concluded with no usable forensic or video evidence identifying the person responsible, three Secret Service officials familiar with the investigation said. The complex was briefly evacuated as a precaution when the white powder was found.

"Where this was discovered is a heavily traveled area where many White House -- West Wing, I should be even more specific, West Wing visitors come through this particular area," Jean-Pierre said. The Secret Service is not ruling out any White House personnel, guests or visitors. At this point, one leading theory is that the bag was brought in by an individual on a White House tour of the West Wing, according to senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter. It was found in a zip-close bag near an entrance where visitors taking tours are directed to leave their phones, the official said.

The Saturday Night Live writer and Weekend Update cohost delivered the gala's keynote roast Saturday, tackling many topics, from the state of print media and Donald Trump's multiple trials to the upcoming election and our current president doing cocaine. After 11 days, the Secret Service wrapped up its investigation without naming a suspect and claimed that surveillance footage did not reveal the identity of the culprit. The agency said it was unable to find the culprit due to “lack of physical evidence” after FBI forensic testing failed to turn up fingerprints or sufficient DNA on the bag. The Secret Service received results Wednesday from tests conducted by the FBI, “which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons,” the Secret Service said in a statement Thursday.

Two senior law enforcement officials told CBS News that there was 207.6 milligrams, or .007 ounces, of cocaine discovered, according to an FBI analysis. Washington — Subsequent testing confirmed that a powdery substance discovered by the Secret Service at the White House on Sunday was cocaine, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, as questions linger about how the drug got into the building. When the unknown powdered substance was discovered, sections of the White House were evacuated as the Washington Fire Department was called to the scene and performed a field test that identified the substance as cocaine. The sample was sent to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the Secret Service statement said. That testing confirmed it was cocaine and determined it was not a biological threat like anthrax or ricin. White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters on July 5, 2023, that there had been tours during the weekend the cocaine was discovered at the White House, including tours held on the same day.

Most staffers who work in the complex can request an evening or weekend tour slot, but there is often a long wait list. There were tours on the day, a Sunday, the drugs were found, as well as on the two preceding days. After that news broke, social media posts about the discovery rapidly spread, with various degrees of legitimacy.