Officials are now telling US media that the cocaine discovered at the White House on Sunday was actually found in a different place than was previously reported.
According to US media, “multiple officials” have indicated the bag of cocaine was recovered from a cubby near the White House’s West Executive entrance, not a West Wing work area as multiple media outlets reported earlier in the week.
Those earlier reports also cited unnamed US officials. Immediately after the substance was first found, outlets initially reported the bag was found in the White House Library.
While White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday that the White House has “confidence” the Secret Service will “get to the bottom” of the incident, officials have been signaling to media outlets that they believe it is unlikely the culprit will be identified.
Officials were quick to point out that the area is also heavily trafficked. A Secret Service official said it was found during a routine patrol. Initially, the content of the bag was unknown, causing a brief shutdown of the White House campus until it was tested.
The White House has largely stayed mum on the subject. On Wednesday, Jean-Pierre repeatedly declined to answer reporters’ questions about the illicit drug, referring to the Secret Service and insisting any comment by the White House would “get ahead” of their investigation.
“This is their kind of guidance and guidelines, their world. So we are going to let them do their jobs, we are not involved in this,” she said.
Jean-Pierre also stressed that the area the bag was found is heavily trafficked by visitors.
US President Joe Biden and his family were away when the bag of cocaine was found. However, the commander-in-chief’s son, Hunter Biden, has a documented history of cocaine use and was at the White House on Friday night. The younger Biden has recently been frequently seen at the White House, leading some to speculate he may have moved in.
US Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has sent a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, asking for more information about the investigation. A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed to media outlets that the agency has received the letter and will respond.
In the letter, Cotton asked for a complete list of people who are not subject to security screening at the White House or are subject to lesser screenings, information on how the Secret Service uses K-9 screenings, details on internal audits of their security practices and “how often” the agency encountered “illegal drugs at the White House complex” in the past five years.
The letter also asks if the Secret Service will arrest the perpetrator if the investigation reveals their identity.