Despite the White House being one of the most secure buildings on the planet, officials say we may never know who recently left cocaine inside the West Wing.
The Secret Service recently said laboratory testing confirmed that cocaine was discovered inside the White House.
An official told Politico “It’s gonna be very difficult for us” to find out whom the cocaine belonged to “because of where it was” found.
“Even if there were surveillance cameras, unless you were waving it around, it may not have been caught,” the official explained. “It’s a bit of a thoroughfare. People walk by there all the time.”
The drug was reportedly discovered in the White House library on the ground floor, but Secret Service later said it was found in a “work area of the West Wing.” Several media outlets have reported that the white powdery substance was found in a locker area where staff members and guests store their personal belongings before undergoing security screenings.
According to former U.S. Secret Service agent Don Mihalek, the White House staff, members of Congress, and “others who have that privilege” are responsible for tours through the West Wing on the weekends.
The Secret Service has not specified whether any tours occurred recently. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did say at a recent press conference that there were tours in the West Wing on June 30, 2023.
“You know, I don’t have the specific on how late the staff-led tours go…There was one…Friday…Saturday…Sunday,” Jean-Pierre said.
.@CBSNewsRadio's @StevenPortnoy: "The substance was discovered late…Sunday. What's the latest staff-led tours that happened in the West Wing on a Sunday?"
KJP: "You know, I don't have the specific on how late the staff-led tours go…There was one…Friday…Saturday…Sunday" pic.twitter.com/mpGGe5cqf9
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 5, 2023
Jean-Pierre also stressed that President Joe Biden and his family were not at the White House during the discovery of the drug. Biden was at Camp David at the time of the discovery.
When asked if staffers will be subjected to further drug testing because of the incident, Jean-Pierre said the White House already undergoes “rigorous guidelines,” including testing.
“And so we will take any action is that is appropriate and warranted pending the outcome of the Secret Service – I’m Just not going to get into hypotheticals from here,” she said.
The House Oversight Committee will request a briefing from Secret Service on the cocaine discovered at the White House.
“The U.S. Secret Service allowed the substance in the White House through their extensive screening process that Congress funds. The Oversight Committee will request a briefing from Secret Service,” a committee aide said.
