Table Of Content
- More from CBS News
- Politics
- Secret Service ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads
- Comer: Oversight Committee Must Assess White House Security Practices After Discovery of Cocaine
- ‘Reagan gave us something to rap about’: how hip-hop has interacted with US politics
- Secret Service Examining How Suspected Cocaine Ended Up at the White House
- news Alerts
Guests must pass through security before entering the White House complex and then are asked to leave phones in small cubbies. Secret Service representatives briefed members of the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees on Capitol Hill on Thursday after lawmakers requested answers on the probe and security protocols at the White House. The sources maintain that the area is highly trafficked, in keeping with Jean-Pierre's characterization Wednesday. The area is transited by VIPs, visitors, tourists, staff members, military officials and facilities operations employees.
Secret Service investigating suspected cocaine found inside White House complex - ABC News
Secret Service investigating suspected cocaine found inside White House complex.
Posted: Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
More from CBS News
The Situation Room itself is being renovated, and has not being used for months. The lobby is also open to staff-led tours of the West Wing, which are scheduled for nonworking hours on the weekends and evenings. Those tours are invitation-only and led by White House staff for friends, family and other guests. Most staffers who work in the complex can request an evening or weekend tour slot, but there is often a long wait list. There were tours on the day, a Sunday, the drugs were found, as well as on the two preceding days. The bag containing the cocaine remains in a federal laboratory, where it will be tested for DNA and fingerprints, the official said.
Politics
Katrina Polk– Washington, D.C.Dr. Katrina Polk is a 54-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense at the age of 18. She successfully served her sentence and completed the terms of her supervised release. Since her release, Dr. Polk has furthered her education, including earning a PhD in public policy and administration. She has also engaged in extensive community service, locally and nationally, and is a respected advocate for the elderly.
Secret Service ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads
The cocaine was found in an entrance area between the foyer and a lower-level lobby, the sources said. The entrance is near where some vehicles, like the vice president’s limo or SUV, park. It is one floor below the main West Wing offices and on the same floor as the Situation Room and a dining area. At the time of publication, there was no credible evidence to link the drug found in the White House to any individual or group, much less the president's son.
Official Statement on the Investigation of a Substance Found in the White House
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter Wednesday asking Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to release information about where the cocaine was found. He also asked half a dozen questions about access to the White House, other instances of illegal drugs' being found in the complex and security procedures, requesting answers by July 14. Jean-Pierre reiterated that the cocaine was found in a heavily traveled area that visitors often transit and noted that staff-sponsored tours were held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He and his family were at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, not the White House, when the cocaine was discovered. The blurry timeline and the number of people who walk through the area where the cocaine was found could make it difficult to determine who was responsible, an official familiar with the investigation said. This might not be the first time illegal drugs were brought into or used at the White House.
The substance had tested positive for cocaine on a preliminary field test, the official familiar with the investigation said Tuesday, and the formal lab test confirmed that result. A powdery white substance that tested positive as cocaine in preliminary tests was found in the White House, sparking an investigation from the U.S. Two senior law enforcement officials told CBS News that there was 207.6 milligrams, or .007 ounces, of cocaine discovered, according to an FBI analysis. On July 12, the Secret Service received the FBI’s laboratory results, which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons. Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals.
For years, the network made a great show of keeping politics out of its journalism, cracking down on select personalities who crossed the line off air. But with changing times has come new management that appears to be perfectly fine giving itself over to political fodder, and no view would appear to be too extreme. Alexis Sutton –New Haven, ConnecticutAlexis Sutton is a 33-year-old woman who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense. Since then, she has taken classes in hopes of earning her nursing degree and ultimately becoming a registered nurse. Colleagues, friends, and neighbors describe her as resilient, reliable, caring, hard-working, and a role model, and they note her devotion to her family and her studies.
Secret Service Examining How Suspected Cocaine Ended Up at the White House
If an officer encounters a powder or substance on White House grounds or in surrounding areas, they routinely request the assistance of D.C. An initial test of the substance conducted by the District of Columbia Fire Department soon after it was found indicated it was cocaine, and the additional test took place Tuesday night. As the investigation continued, many posts claimed without evidence that the cocaine belonged to Hunter Biden, who previously discussed being addicted to crack cocaine in a 2021 memoir. NBC reported the "blurry timeline" could make it difficult for investigators to identify a source. Additionally, investigators were considering the high volume of people who walk through the area. Julia Ainsley is homeland security correspondent for NBC News and covers the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Biden and his family left for Camp David on Friday and returned to the White House on Tuesday. The U.S. Secret Service takes its mission to protect U.S. leaders, facilities, and events seriously and we are constantly adapting to meet the needs of the current and future security environment. The substance was located inside a receptacle used to temporarily store electronic and personal devices prior to entering the West Wing.
The cocaine, contained in a small Ziploc bag, was found in a cubby used by visitors to store cellphones and other personal items before entering the West Wing. The Secret Service described the location of the substance as "inside a vestibule leading to the lobby area of the West Executive Avenue entrance to the White House." In a statement describing the events surrounding the cocaine's discovery, which began July 2, the Secret Service said as part of its review, it compiled a list of "several hundred" people who may have accessed the area where the substance was discovered. But no fingerprints could be found on the cocaine's packaging and there was "insufficient DNA" for "investigative comparisons," the Secret Service said. Washington — The U.S. Secret Service has closed its investigation into the bag of cocaine that was discovered at the White House earlier this month, but was unable to identify a suspect "due to a lack of physical evidence," the agency said Thursday. While awaiting the FBl's results, the Secret Service investigation into how this item entered the White House continued.
Secret Service officials say they have received the letter and will respond. President Joe Biden and his family were at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, not the White House, when officers discovered the cocaine. In updating where the cocaine was found, officials said that area was also heavily trafficked.
Chuck Rosenberg, a former U.S. attorney and acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration under then-President Barack Obama, said law enforcement agencies need to consider their resources when making decisions about who and what to investigate. Gugliemi said the small amount of cocaine, 208 milligrams or about .007 ounce, would only result in a misdemeanor charge in the District of Columbia and the agency determined that did not warrant the expenditure of resources it would take to interview 500 people. There wasn't enough of either on the bag to draw any conclusions, the Secret Service said in a statement. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times.
NBC reported the drug was in a small, zippered bag, and that it was unclear how long it had been in the White House. The Secret Service on Thursday announced it had closed its investigation into who left a small packet of cocaine in the White House without finding the culprit, and a spokesman for the agency told NBC News it did so without conducting interviews. Meanwhile, Secret Service investigators put together a list of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the drugs were found.
The Secret Service said in a statement the White House was closed as a precaution as emergency crews investigated, and that the District of Columbia fire department was called in to evaluate and determine that the substance was not hazardous. Following the discovery, safety closures were implemented around the White House. This response was designed to ensure that the found substance was not a chemical or radiological material that threatened the security of the White House.
No comments:
Post a Comment