Mystery of the White House Cocaine: US Secret Service Investigation Yields No Suspect
The US Secret Service has concluded its investigation into the small bag of cocaine found in the White House and was unable to identify the suspect.
The US Secret Service has concluded its investigation into the small bag of cocaine found in the White House and was unable to identify the suspect.
After combing through security systems, indexing “several hundreds individuals” who entered the West Wing in the days prior, the agency found “insufficient DNA” and could not retrieve any fingerprints from the packaging.
Furthermore, there was no surveillance footage that could provide leads to identify who may have deposited the substance. The leading theory remains that it was left by one of the hundreds of visitors who entered the West Wing that weekend for tours and were asked to leave their phones inside those cubbies.
The cubbies are located near the Situation Room, which has not been used for months due to ongoing renovations. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed confidence that Secret Service will “get to the bottom” of the incident.
The discovery of the powdery substance had prompted a brief evacuation, and the Secret Service briefed the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on the case recently. GOP Rep. Tim Burchett said the bag contained less than a gram of cocaine and that “somebody should lose their job over this, a lot of people.” GOP Rep.
Marjorie Taylor Greene reported that the Secret Service narrowed its list of suspects down to 500 people, which included a mixture of staffers and others on a tour. GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert noted the key to the locker where the cocaine was found is missing.
A Secret Service spokesman also reported that “small amounts of marijuana” were twice found at the White House last year, but no arrests were made due to the District of Columbia having decriminalized possession.
Overall, the Secret Service investigation has now been closed due to lack of physical evidence. Without evidence to single out a person of interest, the USSS is unable to further pursue the investigation.