Investigation of cocaine discovery at the White House

President Joe Biden has been briefed on a cocaine discovery investigation on the West Wing lobby floor of the White House and believes it is “incredibly important” that the Secret Service determine how it got there, officials said Wednesday.

US Secret Service agents found the powder during a routine check at the White House on Sunday in a small clear plastic bag on the floor in a busy area, according to three people who were not authorized to speak about a ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House had confidence in the Secret Service. “The president thinks it’s incredibly important to get to the bottom of this,” she said.

Biden was at Camp David with family members over the holiday weekend when the dust was discovered and the complex was briefly evacuated as a precaution.

The fire department was called to analyze the substance to determine that it was not dangerous, and the initial test came back positive for cocaine. A secondary and more sensitive laboratory analysis confirmed the results.

Investigators have not yet identified who brought the drugs to the White House. The Secret Service, which is responsible for securing the White House, was reviewing visitor logs and security footage.

The lobby where the drugs were found is where many official visitors and staff members enter. It is also open to tours led by West Wing staff, which are scheduled for non-business hours on weekends and evenings.

Those tours are by invitation only and are led by White House staff for friends, family and other guests. Most of the staff members who work at the complex can request an evening or weekend tour, but there is often a long waiting list.

If a White House employee brought the drugs, it would be easier to determine, because staff are fingerprinted and drug tested. A visitor would be harder to pin down; there were tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of last week.

The District of Columbia fire department was called Sunday to test the substance and determine if it was dangerous, though officials immediately suspected illicit drugs because of the way it was packaged, two of the people said. It is usual to follow up with more sensitive laboratory tests later. That proof was returned on Wednesday.

The Secret Service said in a statement Tuesday that the White House was locked down as a precaution while emergency crews investigated.

“The item has been sent for further evaluation and an investigation into the cause and manner in which it entered the White House is pending,” the Secret Service said.

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