Cocaine was not the only drug that the United States Secret Service (USSS) discovered in the White House according to an agency spokesperson, who said that marijuana had been discovered in the building twice in 2022.
“Per the Secret Service Uniformed Division, small amounts of marijuana were found on two occasions in 2022 (June and September),” a spokesperson for the USSS confirmed to The Epoch Times.
They added, “No one was arrested in these incidents because the weight of the marijuana confiscated did not meet the legal threshold for federal charges or DC misdemeanor criminal charges as the District of Columbia had decriminalized possession. The marijuana was collected by officers and destroyed.”
According to federal law, possession of any amount of marijuana, even for personal use, is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.
The discovery that marijuana had been found in the White House came after earlier findings revealed that cocaine had been discovered in a high-security wing of the building.
On July 5, the USSS revealed that agents had uncovered a white, powdery substance in the White House.
It was first identified as an “unknown item” and prompted a brief evacuation.
The USSS later revealed that an investigation of the substance had confirmed that it was cocaine.
‘Investigation Closed Due to Lack of Evidence’
In a July 13 press statement, the USSS announced that it had concluded the investigation into the cocaine without reaching any conclusions about the source of the drug.“The substance and packaging underwent further forensic testing,” the statement said, saying that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had carried out substance, fingerprint, and DNA analysis on the powder “given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation.”
In the interim, the USSS said, the agency carried out a “methodical review of security systems and protocols” including “a backwards examination that spanned several days prior to the discovery of the substance and developed an index of several hundred individuals who may have accessed the area where the substance was found.”
This work turned up a “pool of known persons for comparison of forensic evidence,” the agency said.
But they reported that FBI analysis of the substance and the packaging “did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons. Therefore, the Secret Service is not able to compare evidence against the known pool of individuals.”
The agency said that no surveillance footage leading to substantial investigative leads was discovered.
“Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,” the statement said. “At this time, the Secret Service’s investigation is closed due to a lack of physical evidence.”
Congressional Probe Not Likely: Congresswoman
Following a closed-door meeting in the House Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said that she didn’t think a congressional probe into the matter was likely.“I don’t see [the investigation] moving forward in any way, shape or form after this,” Mace said.
Asked whether it could be looked into by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Mace replied: “I don’t believe so. We have our hands full with other investigations, and I don’t believe this would be part of that.”
Several lawmakers responded to the closure of the investigation with frustration.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he was “very disappointed in the Secret Service.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), an outspoken critic of the Biden administration who has accused it of partisanship against conservatives, called the announcement “beyond unbelievable” in comments to The Epoch Times.
“They told us they don’t know who it is,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Burchett said it’s “bogus” that the Secret Service wouldn’t be able to identify a suspect given all the security technology that’s deployed at the White House and the fact that visitors are screened quite closely.
“It’s a complete failure,” Mr. Burchett continued. “This thing is ridiculous.”
“It’s a pretty good diversion. A lot of people are upset about it,” he added. “I think they’re thumbing their nose at the American public right now, like this administration has had a habit of doing.”
