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For instance, the below-displayed post claimed the cocaine was found in an area often occupied by U.S. President Joe Biden, while other posts asserted that the drug was left behind by his son, Hunter Biden. The lobby is open to staff-led tours of the West Wing, which are scheduled for nonworking hours on the weekends and evenings. Those tours are invitation-only and led by White House staff for friends, family and other guests. Most staffers who work in the complex can request an evening or weekend tour slot, but there is often a long wait list.
Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified
The probe could take about two weeks, and officials caution that there may not be a resolution if no forensic material is found to identify someone. The blurry timeline and the number of people who walk through the area where the cocaine was found could make it difficult to determine who was responsible, an official familiar with the investigation said. WASHINGTON — A formal lab test of the white substance found at the White House on Sunday has come back positive for cocaine, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Wednesday. Colin Jost had his work cut out for him at the 2024 White House Correspondents' dinner. 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. But the jovial mood inside the room contrasted sharply with raucous demonstrations outside the Washington Hilton hotel.
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The focal point of these actions developed a pool of known persons for comparison of forensic evidence gleaned from the FBI’s analysis of the substance's packaging. Washington — The U.S. Secret Service has closed its investigation into the bag of cocaine that was discovered at the White House earlier this month, but was unable to identify a suspect "due to a lack of physical evidence," the agency said Thursday. The discovery of a powdery white substance on Sunday evening prompted a brief evacuation of the premises. Subsequent testing confirmed it was cocaine, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service. A powdery white substance that tested positive as cocaine in preliminary tests was found in the White House, sparking an investigation from the U.S.
Secret Service Examining How Suspected Cocaine Ended Up at the White House
The vestibule is near the Situation Room, which is out of service for renovations; an alternative secure meeting room is being used for classified briefings during construction. On July 12, the Secret Service received the FBI’s laboratory results, which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons. Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals. While awaiting the FBl's results, the Secret Service investigation into how this item entered the White House continued. The investigation included a methodical review of security systems and protocols. This review included a backwards examination that spanned several days prior to the discovery of the substance and developed an index of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the substance was found.
Following the discovery, safety closures were implemented around the White House. This response was designed to ensure that the found substance was not a chemical or radiological material that threatened the security of the White House. As such, the substance was field tested and preliminarily determined to not be a hazardous compound. The Secret Service said in a statement the White House was closed as a precaution as emergency crews investigated, and that the District of Columbia fire department was called in to evaluate and determine that the substance was not hazardous. The incident drew much public attention in recent days, including criticism from Republicans who accused the Biden administration of not doing enough to find the culprit. Gugliemi said the small amount of cocaine, 208 milligrams or about .007 ounce, would only result in a misdemeanor charge in the District of Columbia and the agency determined that did not warrant the expenditure of resources it would take to interview 500 people.
Colin Jost roasts Biden's age, jokes about wife ScarJo and cocaine at White House Correspondents' Dinner
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 substance was discovered in a work area in the west wing by members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service conducting routine rounds through the building, the secret service told Forbes. More testing was done to review the chemical composition of the powder, the statement continued.
American Rapper Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus Jr. claimed on a webshow in 2014 that he smoked marijuana in a White House bathroom in 2013. Willie Nelson similarly claims in his 1988 autobiography he smoked a joint on the White House roof sometime during President Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Villanova University star basketball player Gary McLain told Sports Illustrated in 1987 that he was “wired on cocaine” during his visit to meet President Ronald Reagan at the White House following the team’s 1985 NCAA championship. After that news broke, social media posts about the discovery rapidly spread, with various degrees of legitimacy. We found posts on Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Facebook making various claims about where the illicit substance was found and to whom it allegedly belonged.
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There were tours on the day, a Sunday, the drugs were found, as well as on the two preceding days. The unusual breach of White House security was found July 2 when a uniformed Secret Service officer spotted a small plastic baggie in a storage cubby at the West Executive Avenue entrance on the ground level. Visitors, contractors, military personnel and staff members use the storage cubbies to drop off electronic devices and personal items not permitted in some areas of the West Wing.
White House cocaine culprit unlikely to be found: Law enforcement official - POLITICO
White House cocaine culprit unlikely to be found: Law enforcement official.
Posted: Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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. The Secret Service is looking to find out who brought a baggie 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. Still, its discovery set off rounds of questions for the White House, including about its security protocols and who had access to the area where the substance was found.
The claim that the cocaine was found in the White House library was bolstered by initial reports stating the substance was found in a library, citing a dispatch call to D.C. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told The New York Times that the dispatch call was incorrect. Video of the West Executive street lobby entrance did not identify the person or provide any solid investigative leads, the Secret Service said. But the lab results didn’t turn up latent fingerprints or DNA, so agents can’t compare anything to the possible suspect pool.
Secret Service investigation into White House cocaine fails to identify suspect - The Guardian US
Secret Service investigation into White House cocaine fails to identify suspect.
Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
As the investigation continued, many posts claimed without evidence that the cocaine belonged to Hunter Biden, who previously discussed being addicted to crack cocaine in a 2021 memoir. 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. The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI’s crime laboratory, according to the summary.
Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney and acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under then-President Barack Obama, said law enforcement agencies need to consider their resources when making decisions about who and what to investigate. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter Wednesday asking Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle for more information about the investigation. Secret Service officials say they have received the letter and will respond.
The fire department was called in to test the substance on the spot to determine whether it was hazardous, and the initial test came back negative for a biohazard but positive for cocaine. White House staffers frequently give guests tours of the West Wing, often at night and over the weekend. Guests must pass through security before entering the White House complex and then are asked to leave phones in small cubbies. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the location as “highly traveled,” saying, “West Wing visitors come through this particular area.” She said staff-led tours were held Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the drug was found.
The small plastic envelope was found in an area of the West Wing that visitors and staff members often 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 the weekends. 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.
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