Cocaine Discovery Briefly Shuts Down White House

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Facts

  • The White House was temporarily closed Sunday evening after the US Secret Service agents reportedly discovered cocaine in the West Wing, prompting a brief evacuation. Pres. Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland at the time.1
  • The West Wing — home to the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the press briefing room, and the offices of presidential staff — is accessible to White House staff and tour groups.2
  • Initial reports claimed the white powder was found in the White House's library on the ground floor. However, the Secret Service later said the substance was a yellow bar — indicating it to be cocaine hydrochloride — located in a holding area in the West Wing.3
  • A US Secret Service spokesman said the cocaine is undergoing further analysis, and authorities are investigating how it wound up in the White House.4
  • Though suspicious substances have been sent to the White House before, evacuations are rare. Previous incidents prompting such a response included the 9/11 attacks.3
  • According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, cocaine, which falls under Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act, has a high potential for abuse.5

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Dw.Com, 3New York Post, 4Breitbart, and 5DEA.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Red State. It's still unclear how a banned substance found its way past security and into the White House, yet democrats have been throwing around implausible theories — such as it being a dental anesthetic — to draw attention away from the elephant in the room. Hunter Biden, who frequents the White House, has a very recent history of severe cocaine abuse, which means questioning him over this incident is not a farfetched idea.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Drawing a connection to Hunter Biden is unethical and highly impractical. Hunter had been with his father at Camp David since Friday, and, as the White House is thoroughly searched and cleaned daily, it's unlikely he had anything to do with the cocaine's discovery. The West Wing is open to the public, suggesting it could have been left out by any one of countless people passing through each day.