The person responsible for the cocaine that was discovered at the White House is unlikely to be identified, according to one law enforcement official familiar with the matter, Politico reported.
The illegal drug was found in a busy area of the West Wing, where both staff and visitors could be given authorized access. As a result, the official said “it’s gonna be very difficult” to determine the source of the cocaine “because of where it was.”
“Even if there were surveillance cameras, unless you were waving it around, it may not have been caught” on camera, the official added. “It’s a bit of a thoroughfare. People walk by there all the time.”
The White House was briefly forced to evacuate Sunday evening, after a white powder-like substance – later identified as cocaine – was discovered in a “work area” inside the West Wing, prompting an investigation by the U.S. 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 Secret Service said.
A hazmat team was dispatched to the area surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue and 18th Street after the substance was first discovered. Secret Service units also blocked off the roads near the White House.
Last year, President Joe Biden reiterated his desire to “restore the soul of America” and “bring back some decency and honor.”
“When I ran, I said one of the reasons I was running was to restore the soul of America. Bring back some decency and honor in the way we talk about one another, the way we deal with one another,” Biden said at the time.
As the Democrat candidate for president in November 2020, Biden tweeted, “Let’s restore honor and decency to the White House.”
