Secret Service investigating who brought cocaine into the White House

WASHINGTON – The Secret Service is looking to find out who brought a bag of cocaine that was discovered on Sunday evening into a guest lobby of the West Wing of the White House, an agency spokesman said on Wednesday.

The spokesman, Mr Anthony Guglielmi, also said that the agency had confirmed that the white, powdery substance found by an officer was cocaine, backing up the results of an early test by the Washington fire department.

The small plastic envelope was found in an area of the West Wing that visitors and staff often pass through during the day.

When staff want to bring their relatives or friends on tours of the West Wing, they usually do so at night and on weekends.

A person familiar with the investigation said that the bag was found near an area where guests are screened for security and leave their phones in small cubbies.

The Secret Service would not say where exactly the substance was found in the lobby or whether the agency was working with the White House to review guest logs.

People familiar with the investigation say that the area is frequented so often by so many groups of people that it may be hard to find the person who left the baggie.

White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: “Where this was discovered is a heavily travelled area where many... West Wing visitors come through.”

Asked whether anyone had undergone drug testing as part of the investigation, Ms Jean-Pierre said: “We will take any action... that is appropriate and warranted, pending the outcome of Secret Service.”

Possession of cocaine, which is classified as a “schedule II” drug under the US Controlled Substance Act, is a misdemeanour in Washington, DC.

The West Wing is attached to the executive mansion, where President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden live. It includes the Oval Office, Cabinet room and work space for presidential staff.

Hundreds of people pass through the West Wing regularly, including political staff, their guests and members of the press.

Ms Jean-Pierre said West Wing tours took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The substance was found during a routine Secret Service sweep on Sunday evening.

A Secret Service spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The agency has not said how much cocaine was found. The discovery led to a brief closure of the White House complex on Sunday. Mr Biden and his family were not at the White House then.

That evening, a test of the substance by hazmat crew officials returned a result: “We have a yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride,” an official said on a dispatch sent at 8.49pm local time and logged by a website that gathers radio communications.

On Wednesday, Mr Biden met with the Swedish Prime Minister in the Oval Office and did not respond to a question a reporter shouted about the incident.

Ms Jean-Pierre did not answer questions about whether the White House or Secret Service would be revising security protocols after the episode and referred questions to the Secret Service.

“They’re going to look into all the things of what happened over the weekend,” Ms Jean-Pierre said. “I just don’t want to get ahead of that.”

The president thinks it is “incredibly important” to get to the bottom of it, she said.

Administration officials are able to offer tours of parts of the West Wing to friends and family members. People who are not members of staff must leave electronics and other belongings in the storage cubicles before taking a tour.

Mr Biden and his family returned to the White House early on Tuesday after spending the holiday weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland.

Family members who visit the Bidens traditionally enter and exit through the East Wing, the source said.

Several Republicans in Congress said on Wednesday that the Secret Service should release information related to the investigation, including specific details of where in the West Wing the cocaine was found.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton published a copy of a letter he sent to the agency on Wednesday asking for more information on how visitors are screened before they enter the White House and whether different levels of screenings exist.

“Congress and the American people deserve to know how cocaine got into the White House,” Mr Cotton said. NYTIMES, REUTERS