White substance found at White House confirmed as cocaine
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The security service says the substance was originally found on the floor of the West Wing.
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D.C. Fire Department vehicles outside the White House on Sunday, July 2, 2023, in Washington (AP)
According to the Secret Service on Wednesday, cocaine has been confirmed found at the White House.
A preliminary field test on a white substance discovered in the White House has reportedly tested positive for cocaine, according to law enforcement officials, as the US Secret Service was investigating how it ended up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday.
A first evaluation of the material by the Washington, DC, fire department revealed that it seemed to be cocaine rather than a threat.
This sparked a frenzy of theories in the US media about who could have left the cocaine in the White House, considering that the President and his family were away from the dwelling during the Fourth of July festivities.
US Secret Service Spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi stated that it was "just confirmed that substance found was cocaine and our investigation is ongoing."
The West Wing of the White House holds the Oval Office and other important facilities. The cocaine was allegedly found in a place where visitors partake in tours of the White House and in the location where they usually leave their phones behind for security reasons.
Where was the substance found?
Initial accounts revealed that the substance was discovered in a reference library. The Associated Press later reported on Tuesday, citing two sources who were not allowed to speak about the probe, that the white powder was discovered "in an area accessible to tour groups, not in any particular West Wing office."
Read next: Liz Truss residence houses traces of cocaine after parties: Guardian
"An investigation into the cause and manner" of the substance's entry into the White House is underway.
According to an official involved with the inquiry, the amount of the substance was minimal.
This would not be the first time that illegal substances made their way inside the White House. Snoop Dogg admitted to consuming marijuana in a restroom in 2013, and Willie Nelson admitted to smoking a joint on the White House roof during Jimmy Carter's presidency.
On a visit to the White House during first lady Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign, British actor Erkan Mustafa admitted to smoking marijuana and doing a line of cocaine. Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane said in 2011 that she attempted and failed to spike President Richard Nixon's tea with LSD in 1970.
