Cocaine discovered in White House West Wing check-in area
- The "unknown item" was found at the White House Sunday
- The substance was found where guests are asked to check electronics
- White House spokesperson says an investigation is ongoing
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(NewsNation) — The cocaine discovered in the White House was found in an area where guests are asked to check their phones and electronics, according to a law enforcement source.
The area is within the main lobby of the White House located on the ground floor. Staff members, press and people taking hard-to-get tours of the West Wing could have accessed the area.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the location as a ‘heavily traveled area,” but didn’t offer additional information on the ongoing situation. The Secret Service is leading the investigation.
West Wing staff is subject to rigorous guidelines including drug testing, the White House said, adding they plan to take appropriate action pending the outcome of the Secret Service investigation.
Members of the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service discovered a small plastic bag of the substance during their routine rounds of the building, prompting a brief evacuation, White House spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed to NewsNation.
The complex was evacuated at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday as fire and emergency crews were brought in to do a rapid test, which preliminarily identified cocaine. The White House was soon reopened and the powder was sent for further testing.
President Joe Biden and the first lady were at Camp David at the time.
Guglielmi said the D.C. fire department determined the substance did not present a threat, but “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the substance entered the White House is ongoing.
