Cocaine discovered in the White House on Sunday was found in a cubby hole at a West Wing entry where visitors place electronics and other belongings before taking tours, said a source familiar with the matter. A probe was under way to determine who may have left the cocaine in the cubby hole, the source said. “They’re checking visitor logs and looking at cameras. Those are the next steps. Cross-checking.” The Associated Press has the story:
Cocaine found at WH was in visitors’ cubbyhole
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
A white powder discovered in a lobby area of the White House’s West Wing that prompted a brief evacuation Sunday evening tested positive for cocaine in a laboratory analysis, three people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
Officials who found the powder in a small plastic envelope in the heavily trafficked part of the White House initially suspected illegal drugs, but they ran tests to ensure that the powder was not a more dangerous substance. Investigators have not yet identified who brought the cocaine into the White House, according to the three people, who were not authorized to publicly discuss the inquiry and spoke on condition of anonymity.
President Joe Biden was at Camp David with members of his family for the holiday weekend when the powder was discovered and the complex was briefly evacuated as a precaution. It’s routine for emergency teams to quickly test a suspicious substance on the scene to determine whether it’s hazardous and also to follow up with a more sensitive lab tests later.
The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for securing the White House, was taking the lead on the investigation, consulting visitor logs and security footage.
The lobby is where many official visitors and staffers enter. It is also open to staff-led tours of the West Wing, which are scheduled for nonworking hours on the weekends and evenings.
The Secret Service said in a statement Tuesday 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 item was sent for further evaluation and an investigation into the cause and manner of how it entered the White House is pending,” the Secret Service said.
Administration officials are able to offer tours of parts of the West Wing, which houses the Oval Office, to friends and family members. People who are not members of staff must leave electronics and other belongings in the storage cubicles before taking a tour.
“It was in one of the cubbies,” the source said.
Biden and his family returned to the White House early on Tuesday after spending the holiday weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. Family members who visit the Bidens traditionally use the East Wing, the source said.
