President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden spent most of the Independence Day long-weekend at Camp David, then they returned to the White House on Tuesday for the fireworks display and Fourth of July activities. While they were at Camp David, the White House was evacuated because of a mysterious white powder found in a “work area,” an area which is also accessible to tour groups. So what was this mysterious powder? Anthrax? A biological agent? A new powdery super-virus? No. It was cocaine.
A suspicious substance that prompted an evacuation of the White House on Sunday was identified as cocaine in a preliminary field test, according to several news sites. The substance was found during a patrol of the West Wing around 6 p.m. on Sunday, prompting the White House to be evacuated and the D.C. Fire Department’s Hazmat team to respond to the scene, The New York Times reported.
It had been found in a “work area” of the White House, which was accessible to tour groups, officials told Fox 5 News.
On a radio dispatch shared on openmhz.com, a website that allows public access to live and archived radio transmissions from police and fire departments, a D.C. firefighter could be heard at 8:49 p.m. saying, “We have a yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride,” per the Times.
The U.S. Secret Service told PEOPLE in a statement that the White House had undergone a “precautionary closure” while the fire department investigated the substance. The department evaluated the substance and determined that it was “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,” a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said.
President Joe Biden was not in the White House when the substance was found. He and his family had left for Camp David on Friday and only returned to the White House on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
A lot of people said “Hunter Biden,” the president’s only living son, who has well-documented drug problems. I have no doubt that Hunter has carried cocaine into the White House, and I have no doubt that Hunter has done cocaine in the White House. But probably not in a work area? He’s probably doing lines in the residence. So that leaves hundreds of other possibilities, including White House staffers, White House guests, Secret Service agents and possibly even tourists. The Secret Service has launched an investigation and they’re going through visitor logs and the footage they have in the area. I’ve seen some people suggest that it was planted… it could be, and I wouldn’t put it past the Secret Service, but I also think that if they were trying to jam up the Bidens, they would have planted it when the Bidens were there?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
- United States President Joe Biden, son Hunter Biden and grandson Beau Biden Jr. arrive at Fort Lesley J. McNair Featuring: Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Beau Biden Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 25 Jun 2023 Credit: Julia Nikhinson/POOL via CNP/startraksphoto.com
- Hunter Biden arrives at Fort Lesley J. McNair Featuring: Hunter Biden Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 25 Jun 2023 Credit: Julia Nikhinson/POOL via CNP/startraksphoto.com
- United States President Joe Biden, First lady Dr. Jill Biden, and family watch fireworks on the Blue Room Balcony during a Fourth of July event on the South Lawn of the White House. President Biden is hosting the event for military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors to celebrate Independence Day. Featuring: Joe Biden, Jiull Biden, Lloyd J. Austin III, Charlene Austin Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 04 Jul 2023 Credit: Ting Shen/POOL via CNP/startraksphoto.com
- United States President Joe Biden, First lady Dr. Jill Biden, and family watch fireworks on the Blue Room Balcony during a Fourth of July event on the South Lawn of the White House. President Biden is hosting the event for military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors to celebrate Independence Day. Featuring: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Hunter Biden, Beau Biden Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 04 Jul 2023 Credit: Ting Shen/POOL via CNP/startraksphoto.com
