It looks like somebody may have had a wild weekend at the White House with a “white, powdery substance.” According to multiple reports, officials believe cocaine was left at the nation’s most famous residence.
Today (July 4), NBC News reported that a “non-hazardous” “white, powdery substance” was discovered in a “work area in the West Wing” on Sunday (July 2). The outlet made no mention of cocaine but shared a statement from Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service. “On Sunday evening, the White House complex went into a precautionary closure as officers from the Secret Service Uniformed Division investigated an unknown item found inside a work area. The D.C. Fire Department was called to evaluate and quickly determined the item to be non-hazardous. The item was sent for further evaluation, and an investigation into the cause and manner of how it entered the White House is pending,” he said.
However, The New York Post obtained transcripts of a conversation intercepted via radio communication with more details. “We have a yellow bar stating cocaine hydrochloride,” a D.C. firefighter confirmed at 8:49 p.m. on Sunday. That person then instructed a hazmat team to “bag it up and take it out.” President Biden was not home at the time of the discovery, as he and his family were away at Camp David in Frederick County, Maryland, for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The location is known as “the president’s country residence,” and it provides “an opportunity for solitude and tranquility,” according to the White House’s official website.
Biden and his loved ones returned to the White House this morning, but the Secret Service has not given any details on the interesting find. The agency stated it “does not comment on an active investigation.” More tests will reportedly be done on the substance to determine its contents.