White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that the cocaine discovered in the White House over Independence Day weekend was found while the Bidens were away, and that the substance was discovered in an area where West Wing tours take place.
The Secret Service confirmed earlier Wednesday that the white substance found in the West Wing on Sunday was cocaine, according to ABC News.
The press secretary stressed the cocaine was discovered late Sunday while the president and first lady were away at Camp David. Hunter Biden, who has a history of using cocaine, was also with the Bidens at the presidential retreat over the weekend. The president’s son was at the White House on Friday, but there is no evidence he was responsible for the substance.
Jean-Pierre also said the substance was found in a “heavily-traveled area” of the West Wing and that West Wing tours were conducted Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Hunter Biden (L), his wife, Melissa Cohen (R) and son Beau Biden (C), walk to a waiting SUV after arriving with US President Joe Biden on Marine One at Fort McNair in Washington, DC, July 4, 2023, as they return to Washington after spending the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Secret Service agents are currently conducting an investigation into how the cocaine could have ended up in the White House, but the substance was found in a “heavily-traveled area” of the West Wing, Jean-Pierre said. West Wing tours were conducted Friday, Saturday and Sunday, she added. (RELATED: ‘And I Go Back To The 70s’: White House Cocaine News Blows Away MSNBC Anchor)
Jean-Pierre would not confirm if the Secret Service is suspecting the cocaine to have belonged to a visitor or a staffer, repeating that the findings are currently under investigation.