The Secret Service concluded its investigation into the cocaine found in the White House earlier this month after it was unable to determine a suspect, CNN reported Thursday, as the discovery has prompted a flurry of unfounded, far-fetched theories from some Republicans targeting President Joe Biden.
A view of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 5, 2023, Cocaine discovered at ... [+]
The Secret Service closed the investigation after a review of visitor logs and surveillance footage failed to produce any suspects or a timeline for when the cocaine may have been brought into the West Wing, according to CNN, citing two sources familiar with the probe.
The cocaine was found in one of the cubbies where White House visitors are instructed to leave their belongings during tours of the West Wing, officials have said.
CNN reported previously that the Secret Service did not expect to find a suspect given that the drugs were found in a high-traffic area of the West Wing.
The White House was briefly evacuated on July 2 when a small bag of white powder, later determined to be cocaine, was found in the West Wing. President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David for the July 4 holiday at the time, but the discovery has nonetheless prompted suggestions from some Republicans—namely former President Donald Trump—that Biden or his son, Hunter, a recovering drug addict, may have been responsible. Trump has used the incident to dispute the credibility of the Justice Department’s case against him over his handling of classified documents, going as far to suggest the drugs may have belonged to the president.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump alleged that if the White House doesn’t have security footage showing who brought the drugs into the White House, then "it means they destroyed the tapes & the Cocaine was for use by Hunter, & probably Crooked Joe, in order to give this total disaster of a President a little life and energy!” He previously suggested Justice Department Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who brought charges against him in the classified documents case, was behind the cocaine, calling Smith “deranged” and “crazy,” adding “he looks like a crackhead to me!”
The Secret Service is expected to brief the Republican-led House Oversight Committee on the discovery Thursday. Committee Chair and Biden adversary Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) requested the briefing in a letter to the agency earlier this month, writing “this alarming development requires the Committee to assess White House security practices and determine whose failures led to an evacuation of the building and finding of the illegal substance.”
Trump Blames Biden For White House Cocaine In Latest Spin Linking Drugs To Classified Docs Case (Forbes)
Cocaine Found In White House Near Area Accessible To Tour Groups (Forbes)
Cocaine Found In White House (Forbes)