2nd powder test found in the lobby of the White House in the West Wing confirms cocaine

(Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)

2nd powder test found in the lobby of the White House in the West Wing confirms cocaine

COLLEEN LONG, ZEKE MILLER, and MICHAEL BALSAMO

July 5, 2023

President

joe

Biden has been briefed on the investigation into the discovery of cocaine on the lobby floor of the West Wing of the White House and believes it is incredibly important for the Secret Service to determine how it got there, officials said Wednesday.

U.S. 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 high-traffic area, according to three people who were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and spoke of

T

he Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the White House has confidence in the Secret Service. The chairman thinks

S

it’s incredibly important to get to the bottom of this, she said.

Biden was at Camp David with members of his family for the

Fourth of July

holiday weekend in which the powder was discovered and the complex was evacuated for a short time as a precaution. The fire department was called in to test the substance to determine that it was not dangerous, and the first test was positive for cocaine. A secondary, more sensitive lab analysis confirmed the results.

Investigators have not yet identified who brought the drug

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into the White House. The Secret Service, which is responsible for security at the White House, was combing through visitor logs and security footage.

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The lobby where the drug

s were something

found where many official visitors and staff enter. It is also open for staff-led tours of the West Wing, which are scheduled on weekends and evenings outside office hours. Those tours are by invitation only and led by White House staff for friends, family and other guests. Most of the staff working at the complex can request an evening or weekend tour, but there is often a long waiting list.

If a White House employee brought in the drug

S

, it would be easier to determine because the staff are fingerprinted and subjected to drug testing. A visitor would be harder to pin down; last week there were tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The District of Columbia Fire Department was called on Sunday to test the substance to determine if it was dangerous, though officials immediately suspected

bee

illegal drug

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because of the way it was packaged, two of the people said. Its routine to follow up with a more sensitive lab test

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later on. That test was returned on Wednesday.

The Secret Service said in a statement Tuesday that the White House was closed as a precaution during the investigation by the emergency services.

The item has been sent for further evaluation and an investigation into its cause and how it entered the White House is pending, the Secret Service said.

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