The Secret Service has wrapped up its White House cocaine investigation after 11 days without identifying any suspect or producing any leads on who left the illegal drug in the West Wing.
Congressional Republicans, who Secret Service officials briefed about how the agency couldn’t solve the whodunit, went ballistic.
“So they have not been able to target when the substance was left who left it and they are eager to close the investigation which is extremely troubling,” Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado told reporters outside the closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill.
The Secret Service told lawmakers that there were no suspects, despite having a list of 500 individuals that went through the West Wing entrance during the weekend when the cocaine was found.
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina fumed: “We just never can seem to find answers. And for us, that’s frustrating.”
The unusual discovery of illegal drugs at the White House occurred on the Sunday before the Independence Day holiday. It set off a guessing game in Washington and around the world, with bookmakers naming President Biden’s son Hunter Biden as a prime suspect because of admitted cocaine use in the past.
Investigators didn’t produce any evidence linking the cocaine to Hunter Biden or anyone else.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had a suggestion for how the Secret Service can whittle down the list of suspects.
“My question to them was, ‘Have they drug-tested this list of 500 potential suspects that brought an illegal substance, or drug, cocaine, into the White House?’ Their answer was no and that they’re unwilling to do so,” the Georgia Republican told reporters.
Mr. Biden’s staff is subject to routine drug tests, but White House visitors do not undergo such testing.
On July 2, a uniformed Secret Service officer saw a small plastic baggie in a small storage locker at the entrance on the ground level. The 182 lockers on the wall of the foyer are used by staff, contractors, military personnel and visitors to drop off electronic devices or other items not permitted in some areas of the West Wing. The West Wing includes the Oval Office and offices for top aides.
The lockers are located near the Situation Room, which the White House uses for secure meetings, though the room is currently unused because it is undergoing renovations.
Similar to setups at ski lodges or bowling alleys, the rows of numbered lockers with keys allow individuals to stash their items, lock the doors, and keep the key until they return for their belongings.
The key for locker 50, where the cocaine was found, is missing, the Secret Service told lawmakers.
The foyer where the lockers are located is one of the few spots in the White House without video surveillance.
The only security footage available is on West Executive Avenue outside the foyer. The Secret Service reviewed the footage from the weekend when the cocaine was found and saw the 500 people pass through.
“The Secret Service was very clear to say that these 500 individuals are not suspects. They are not looking into them,” Mrs. Boebert said.
She said the Secret Service also did not give lawmakers a range of time for when the cocaine was left in the locker.
“They said that it could have been a few hours, a couple of days or even years,” Mrs. Boebert said.
In announcing Thursday that the case is closed, the Secret Service said it lacked forensic or video evidence identifying a suspect.
Investigators poured through visitor logs and surveillance footage of hundreds of individuals who entered the West Wing in the days before the discovery of the illicit drug but were unable to identify who or when the baggie was left there, according to the Secret Service.
The Secret Service also said a fingerprint and DNA analysis conducted by the FBI yielded no results because there was “insufficient” DNA present for an investigative comparison.
“Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,” the agency said in a statement. “At this time, the Secret Service‘s investigation is closed due to lack of physical evidence.”
The White House was briefly evacuated on July 2 after agents found the white powdery substance during a sweep of the building. Lab tests later confirmed the substance was cocaine.
Mr. Biden and his family, including Hunter Biden, left the White House on Friday for Camp David. Mr. Biden and his family returned on July 4 for Independence Day celebrations.
It is not the first time drugs were found at the White House since Mr. Biden took office. Secret Service officials also informed lawmakers that twice last year, visitors to the White House were found to have marijuana.
Possessing less than 2 ounces of marijuana is not illegal in Washington, but marijuana is not allowed on federal property including the White House.
“What kind of people are we allowing to go onto that premise? And what is their actual purpose there?” Mrs. Boebert said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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