A top Republican senator has demanded more information from the head of the Secret Service after a bag of cocaine was discovered Sunday in the West Wing of the White House.
In a Wednesday letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) asked that the protective agency confirm the precise location where the dime-size bag of white powder was found by a uniformed agent during a routine patrol.
“I urge you to release that information quickly, as the American people deserve to know whether illicit drugs were found in an area where confidential information is exchanged,” Cotton wrote.
“If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws,” the senator added.
Aside from the location where the cocaine was found, Cotton demanded that Cheatle provide his office with a complete list of individuals with “access to the White House complex without passing through any security screening” as well as a list of individuals “subject to lesser security screening requirements than the most complete screening required of individuals accessing the West Wing.”
Sen. Tom Cotton has demanded more information from the head of the Secret Service after a bag of cocaine was discovered Sunday in the West Wing of the White House. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Lawmakers asked that the protective agency confirm the precise location where the dime-size bag of white powder was found by a uniformed agent during a routine patrol. Getty Images/iStockphotoThe senator also asked how many White House visitors are screened by the Secret Service’s K-9s each year, how often the agency encountered illegal drugs at the White House within the past five years — and where the drugs were discovered.
”Illegally possessing cocaine is a crime under federal law. If the Secret Service discovers the identity of the individual who brought illicit cocaine into the White House complex, will they make an arrest under this provision?” Cotton also asked, requesting answers to his queries by July 14.
Here's everything to know about cocaine being found in the White House
The Secret Service concluded its investigation into cocainefound in the West Wing of the White House after just 11 days without identifying a suspect.
Investigators also told lawmakers they were unable to determine exactly when the cocaine was left in the locker due to the lack of footage.
- White House cocaine investigation concluded after just 11 days, no suspect ID’d: Secret Service
- White House calls Post ‘irresponsible’ for asking about cocaine ties to Biden family
- Bookies bet Hunter Biden is the culprit behind White House cocaine
The executive mansion was briefly evacuated after the cocaine was found.
An initial test came back positive for the drug, and further testing by the FBI confirmed it was cocaine.
President Biden’s staff is subject to routine drug tests, but White House visitors — including those given West Wing tours by invitation only — are not.
Biden was not at the White House at the time the substance was found.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has also indicated it plans to investigate the White House drug find.
The panel is expected to request a briefing from the Secret Service on the matter, according to ABC News.
