Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified

Table Of Content

• Secret Service probes how a small bag of cocaine got into the White House
• Colin Jost headlines White House Correspondents' Dinner with cocaine, O.J. Simpson jokes
• Bob Bakish Exit: Shock Ripples Through CBS’ WHCD Party As Paramount CEO Set To Depart - "Who Knows What's Next?"
• Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified
• Colin Jost Roasts Donald Trump On Trial And Riffs On Joe Biden’s Age During WHCA Dinner Gig
• Protesters Hang Palestinian Flag from Venue Before Joe Biden's Speech
• Who left cocaine in the West Wing? The Secret Service says they may never know
• White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2024 Photos: Best Of The Red Carpet

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. For instance, the below-displayed post claimed the cocaine was found in an area often occupied by U.S.

Secret Service probes how a small bag of cocaine got into the White House

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. "Cocaine was found at the White House. There's illegal narcotics in lots of mansions in America," the Fifty Shades of Whey Twitter account wrote. "It's time to end the classist War on Drugs. The US needs to decriminalize drug possession at the federal level and address addiction with mental health services." In audio footage, logged on a site called openmhz.com, a firefighter with the D.C. Department's hazardous materials team can be heard calling in the results of a test. I didn’t really care who she was or about the ‘just say no’ message,” he said.

Colin Jost headlines White House Correspondents' Dinner with cocaine, O.J. Simpson jokes

The night's end took a serious turn when Jost paid homage to his late grandfather, who the comedian said voted for Biden. My weekend update Michael Che was going to join me here tonight but in solidarity with President Biden, I decided to lose all my Black support,” he said, referring to his “Weekend Update” co-host and close friend Che. The substance was found Sunday evening in a small zippered bag in a highly trafficked part of the West Wing and prompted a brief evacuation, a Secret Service official said. A preliminary field test indicated that the substance was cocaine, according to a dispatch from a fire crew that responded. The substance was discovered by members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service conducting routine rounds through the building, Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told Newsweek.

Secret Service closes White House cocaine investigation citing lack of evidence - PBS NewsHour

Secret Service closes White House cocaine investigation citing lack of evidence.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Bob Bakish Exit: Shock Ripples Through CBS’ WHCD Party As Paramount CEO Set To Depart - "Who Knows What's Next?"

News publications like CNN, The Hill, and the AP reported officials were working to identify who was responsible for bringing the substance into the federal building. 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.

” at White House officials, journalists and celebrities as they arrived at the dinner, condemning Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza and the media’s coverage of it. The substance had tested positive for cocaine on a preliminary field test, the official familiar with the investigation said Tuesday, and the formal lab test confirmed that result. He and his family were at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, not the White House, when the cocaine was discovered. 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. President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David, a presidential retreat in Maryland, when the cocaine was discovered. According to the AP, Secret Service agents discovered the substance while doing a routine security scan of the building.

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. 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. 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 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. "They are currently investigating what happened over the weekend. So I would have to refer you to the Secret Service, the Secret Service, on all of this."

Who left cocaine in the West Wing? The Secret Service says they may never know

Cocaine Found at the White House, Secret Service Says - The Wall Street Journal

Cocaine Found at the White House, Secret Service Says.

Posted: Fri, 27 Oct 2023 18:49:37 GMT [source]

The sample was sent to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the Secret Service statement said. That testing confirmed it was cocaine and determined it was not a biological threat like anthrax or ricin. Two senior law enforcement officials told CBS News that there was 207.6 milligrams, or .007 ounces, of cocaine discovered, according to an FBI analysis. White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters on July 5, 2023, that there had been tours during the weekend the cocaine was discovered at the White House, including tours held on the same day. "Where this was discovered is a heavily traveled area where many White House -- West Wing, I should be even more specific, West Wing visitors come through this particular area," Jean-Pierre said.

White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2024 Photos: Best Of The Red Carpet

Comer, a Kentucky Republican, later said in a statement that the Secret Service needs to reassess its security operations to ensure illegal substances do not enter the White House. Lawmakers who attended the briefing confirmed that the Secret Service's investigation will conclude with no determination of who the cocaine belonged to, leaving Republicans exasperated and with more questions. 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.

Bobby Darrell Lowery– Jackson, MississippiBobby Darrell Lowery is a 50-year-old man who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense at the age of 25. He served his sentence and successfully completed the terms of his probation. Since his release, Mr. Lowery has maintained steady employment and actively volunteers at his church and at various community-based organizations. Friends and colleagues praise his work ethic, dedication to his family, and strong moral character.Jesse Mosley– Ponchatoula, LouisianaJesse Mosley is a 42-year-old man who pleaded guilty to non-violent drug offenses at the age of 19. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly lower sentence.

The president was briefed on the incident, and the discovery of the cocaine prompted questions from Republicans in the House. Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said last week his panel will assess the White House's security practices, and the Secret Service on Thursday provided a closed-door briefing for the committee. The Secret Service on Thursday announced it had closed its investigation into who left a small packet of cocaine in the White House without finding the culprit, and a spokesman for the agency told NBC News it did so without conducting interviews. Jean-Pierre reiterated that the cocaine was found in a heavily traveled area that visitors often transit and noted that staff-sponsored tours were held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The FBl's evaluation of the substance also confirmed that it was cocaine. 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. The substance and packaging were treated as evidence and sent to the U.S. 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. The Secret Service led the investigation into how the cocaine ended up at the White House and said as part of its review, it would look over surveillance footage and entrance logs to determine who had access to the area where it was found.

According to the AP, the president and his family — including Hunter Biden — left for Camp David, a presidential retreat in the Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland, on June 30, 2023. The West Wing is often frequented by visitors on staff-led tours on evenings and weekends. The Situation Room itself is being renovated, and has not being used for months.