President Joe Biden on Wednesday refused to answer questions about the cocaine found on the White House grounds on Sunday.
Reporters asked Joe Biden: “How cocaine got into the White House?”
But Joe Biden refused to answer. pic.twitter.com/5ZOFprjeE6
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) July 5, 2023
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday downplayed the incident and stated that the administration had no official comment on the matter.
A Politico report on Wednesday cited a law enforcement official that claimed it was “unlikely” that the suspect would ever be found.
“But one official familiar with the investigation cautioned that the source of the drug was unlikely to be determined given that it was discovered in a highly trafficked area of the West Wing,” the report claimed.
“The small amount of cocaine was found in a cubby area for storing electronics within the West Exec basement entryway into the West Wing, where many people have authorized access, including staff or visitors coming in for West Wing tours,” the report continued.
Asked what the chances were of finding the suspect, the official said that “it’s gonna be very difficult for us to do that because of where it was.”
“Even if there were surveillance cameras, unless you were waving it around, it may not have been caught” by the cameras, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given that it’s an ongoing investigation. “It’s a bit of a thoroughfare. People walk by there all the time.”
But there are host of questions being raised, including conflicting reports based on a dispatch call from the White House on Sunday that indicated that cocaine was found in the executive mansion library, where the president’s son Hunter Biden had access.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) is leading the charge to get answers. He wrote a letter to the Secret Service demanding information about the illicit drug.
He said: “I write regarding the Secret Service’s recent discovery of white powder, reportedly confirmed to be cocaine, inside the White House. According to public reports, the Secret Service has not yet confirmed where in the West Wing the cocaine was found.”
“I urge you to release that information quickly, as the American people deserve to know whether illicit drugs were found in an area where confidential information is exchanged,” he continued. “If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws. Please answer the following questions as soon as practicable, but in any event no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, July 14.”
“Further, please contact my staff to arrange a briefing on this matter, as well as the provision of any answers that are classified or law enforcement sensitive,” he added.
“1. Who has access to the White House complex without passing through any security screening? Please provide a complete list of all such individuals.”
“2. Who has access to the White House complex while subject to lesser security screening requirements than the most complete screening required of individuals accessing the West Wing? Please provide a complete list of all such individuals, along with a description of the lesser screening requirements and the reasons such individuals are not subject to complete screening.”
“3. The Secret Service’s Annual Report for FY2022 notes that the Secret Service’s Personnel Screening K-9 program screens approximately 10 million ‘visitors to the exterior of The White House each year.’ How many visitors to the interior of the White House are screened by the Secret Service’s K-9s each year? Please provide a description of the circumstances under which the Secret Service chooses not to use K-9 screening for West Wing visitors.”
“4. In the past five years, how often has the Secret Service encountered illegal drugs at the White House complex? How often were these drugs detected during security screenings, and how often were these drugs encountered inside secure areas?”
“5. Section 3056A of Title 18, U.S. Code, provides members of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division with the authority to ‘make arrests without warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their presence, or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such felony.’ Illegally possessing cocaine is a crime under federal law. If the Secret Service discovers the identity of the individual who brought illicit cocaine into the White House complex, will they make an arrest under this provision?”
“6. How often does the Secret Service audit its security procedures for the White House complex and adjust those procedures to correct potential flaws? Please provide details regarding the most recent complete,” he wrote.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is also demanding answers for the Republican-controlled Congress.
Don’t worry @PressSec, we Oversight Republicans are going to ask Secret Service about cocaine found in the WH.
I’d also like to know if WH staff and admin, as well as Hunter Biden, can all pass a drug test.
And what list of meds or drugs is Joe taking?
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene?? (@RepMTG) July 5, 2023
“Don’t worry@PressSec, we Oversight Republicans are going to ask Secret Service about cocaine found in the WH,” Greene said. “I’d also like to know if WH staff and admin, as well as Hunter Biden, can all pass a drug test. And what list of meds or drugs is Joe taking?”
The White House may be seeking to move past the cocaine incident that occurred over July 4th weekend, but the Republicans in Congress are in no such hurry to blow past the issue.
