Secret Service Examining How Suspected Cocaine Ended Up at the White House The New York Times

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• Supreme Court likely to hear arguments on regulating ghost guns in next term
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• Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified
• NBC News poll: RFK Jr. candidacy hurts Trump numbers more than Biden
• No fingerprints, DNA found on baggie of cocaine left in White House lobby

Access is tightly controlled and generally restricted to the president’s national security and military advisors. Even the contractors working on the renovation had to get temporary security clearances. According to the New York Times, the Secret Service is investigating the origins of the substance, which was deemed cocaine by a hazardous materials team following testing.

Supreme Court likely to hear arguments on regulating ghost guns in next term

"It's deeply frustrating," Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, told reporters. "This is one of the most secure locations in the world, some of the best law enforcement  officers in the world. And they don't have any answers." The saga over the cocaine began just before the Fourth of July, when the White House was temporarily closed after an "unknown item" was discovered by Secret Service officers on July 2. A preliminary test conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department soon after the substance was found indicated it was cocaine. This might not be the first time illegal drugs were brought into or used at the White House. American Rapper Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus Jr. claimed on a webshow in 2014 that he smoked marijuana in a White House bathroom in 2013.

Latest Politics

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. The court heard that he told gardaí on arrest that he had accumulated a drug debt of €25,000 and was under duress from others to become involved in the operation.

Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified

There was more in the doc about hip-hop rallying the youth voter via P Diddy’s popular Vote or Die mass-registration campaign, but recent events would force the production team to reduce the hip-hop impresario to a passing figure in this history. Through archival footage, much of it long forgotten, Washington’s doc recalls how hip-hop wasn’t really respected as more than rebel entertainment, personified by acts like the New York City Breakers. A Beverly Hills man pleaded guilty today to stealing jewelry and other items from victims staying at a luxury hotel last year, then traveling to Florida to sell the stolen... Former president Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is underway in New York.

Willie Nelson similarly claims in his 1988 autobiography he smoked a joint on the White House roof sometime during President Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Villanova University star basketball player Gary McLain told Sports Illustrated in 1987 that he was “wired on cocaine” during his visit to meet President Ronald Reagan at the White House following the team’s 1985 NCAA championship. The bag containing the cocaine remains in a federal laboratory, where it will be tested for DNA and fingerprints, the official said. 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.

WASHINGTON — A formal lab test of the white substance found at the White House on Sunday has come back positive for cocaine, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Wednesday. Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday "the president thinks is incredibly important to get to the bottom" of how the cocaine came to be at the White House, but she deferred almost all questions to the Secret Service as it continues its investigation. Secondary testing of powder found in the West Wing lobby of the White House was confirmed to be cocaine. President Biden was briefed on the investigation and said it is “incredibly important” for the Secret Service to determine how it got there. White House staffers frequently give guests tours of the West Wing, often at night and over the weekend.

Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified - CBS News

Secret Service closes investigation into cocaine found at White House with no suspect identified.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Cocaine found in cubby where White House visitors place cell phones, source says

Later, in an email to Snopes, he confirmed the cocaine wasn't found in a library and was instead found "in an area of the West Wing." "They are currently investigating what happened over the weekend. So I would have to refer you to the Secret Service, the Secret Service, on all of this." Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to answer when she was asked at Wednesday's briefing which of the two West Wing entrances was involved, saying she would let the Secret Service address that. Investigators expect to be done with the investigation by Monday, said two sources familiar with the investigation. On Wednesday, he met with the Swedish prime minister in the Oval Office and did not respond to a question a reporter shouted about the incident.

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. The incident drew much public attention in recent days, including criticism from Republicans who accused the Biden administration of not doing enough to find the culprit. The Secret Service led the investigation into how the cocaine ended up at the White House and said as part of its review, it would look over surveillance footage and entrance logs to determine who had access to the area where it was found.

No fingerprints, DNA found on baggie of cocaine left in White House lobby

That took place around the corner from the JFK room in a smaller conference room that no longer exists. It’s been cut out entirely from the space and sent off to Obama’s presidential library, Gustafson said. The complex is staffed around the clock by military and civilian personnel who monitor breaking developments worldwide. The White House opened the classified space to a group of reporters this week for a rare visit to check out the new look. President Biden got a tour on Tuesday and then received an intelligence briefing in the space, said Marc Gustafson, the Situation Room director.

Asked about the incident Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that the investigation is under the Secret Service's purview and said she is "confident" they will get to the bottom of the situation. The Republican-led House Oversight committee plans to request a briefing from Secret Service on the cocaine found at the White House, a committee official told ABC News. Some visitors, but not members of the general public, are able to tour parts of the West Wing, and tours typically take place on the weekends. Biden and his family left for Camp David on Friday and returned to the White House on Tuesday. He, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and members of their family departed for Camp David on Friday. They returned to the White House on Tuesday for an event with the National Education Association and Fourth of July festivities.

"When it comes to visitors to the West Wing, they come for many reasons, obviously we do have West Wing tours that occur here on campus," she said, adding tours took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Los Angeles conviction saw Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in prison in February 2023 for raping an Italian model, who was identified as Jane Doe, at a film festival in 2013. He requires ongoing chemotherapy and his physical fitness has deteriorated due to the effects of his condition and the medication he requires, the hearing was told. Mr Bowman said Wildman had a history of work in the construction industry, but developed a significant drug habit, at one stage taking half an ounce of cocaine a week costing €1,100.

Authorities continue to work to secure the arrests of a number of fugitives, including Angel Humberto Chavez-Gastelum, the alleged ringleader of the international trafficking ring, who is believed to be in Mexico. Some on the right have argued that the payment to Daniels didn’t violate campaign-finance law. Earlier this month, Trump shared on social media a 2023 article written by the National Review’s Andrew McCarthy, making that case.

Lab testing has confirmed it was cocaine found in the White House West Wing Sunday evening, a U.S. Harvey Weinstein and his legal team are “very optimistic” that the overturning of his New York sex crime conviction will strengthen his appeal over his Los Angeles rape conviction, his lawyer told The Post. Blacc encouraged people “to offer a moment of joy” when they reach out and to share a positive memory that’s going to bring the person joy. No talking head is more cynical than Wocka Flocka Flame, an Atlanta rapper who not only came out for Trump in 2020, but said he was better than Obama. The enraged reaction that greeted his announcement has since given way to young Black men shifting support to Trump because they feel like Obama – ostensibly, the hip-hop president – let them down.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Biden returned to the White House with several of his family members. 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. 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. 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.

A baggie that was confirmed to contain cocaine was found in the guest lobby of the West Wing on Sunday evening, an agency spokesman said. Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation. Testing conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department indicated that the found powder tested preliminarily positive for the presence of cocaine. Department of Homeland Security's National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, which analyzed the item for any biothreats.

Video of the West Executive street lobby entrance did not identify the person or provide any solid investigative leads, the Secret Service said. Meanwhile, Secret Service investigators put together a list of several hundred individuals who might have accessed the area where the drugs were found. Anyone who comes through the White House must give identifying information and pass through security before entering. The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI’s crime laboratory, according to the summary. The presence of cocaine at the White House prompted a flurry of criticism and questions from Republicans, who received a closed briefing Thursday on the results of the investigation.