An agency spokeswoman said Wednesday that the Secret Service is trying to determine who brought the bag of cocaine found Sunday evening in the guest lobby of the West Wing of the White House.
The spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, also said the agency has confirmed that the white, powdery substance found by an officer was cocaine, supporting the results of preliminary testing by the Washington Fire Department.
The small plastic envelope was found in an area of the West Wing that visitors and staff members frequently pass through during the day. When staff members want to bring 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 the baggie was found near an area where guests are screened for security and leave their phones in small cubes. 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 the area is often crowded with so many people that it can be difficult to find the person who left the baggy.
President Biden and his family were at Camp David on Sunday when the baggie was found and officials briefly closed off parts of the compound to assess whether the substance was dangerous. That evening, results came from testing of the substance by hazard crew officers: “We have a yellow stripe that says cocaine hydrochloride,” said an officer. Dispatch sent at 8:49 pm and logged by a website that collects radio communications.
Mr Biden returned to his family on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he met with the Swedish prime minister in the Oval Office and did not answer a reporter’s question about the incident.
White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre did not answer questions about whether the White House or the Secret Service would revise security protocols following the episode, and referred questions to the Secret Service.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said, “They are going to look into everything that happened over the weekend.” “I just don’t want to outdo him.”
He visited the White House on several days last week, including Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“When it comes to visitors to the West Wing, they come for a variety of reasons,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “Apparently we have West Wing tours that take place here on campus.”
Several Republicans in Congress said Wednesday that the Secret Service should release information related to the investigation, including specific details of where the cocaine was found in the West Wing.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, published a copy of a letter He sent the letter to the agency on Wednesday seeking more information on how visitors are screened before entering the White House and whether different levels of screening exist.
“Congress and the American people deserve to know how the cocaine got into the White House,” Mr Cotton said.