The U.S. Secret Service has refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records relating to the cocaine that was recently found in the White House, citing the potential for interference in an ongoing investigation.
Mr. Leopold’s FOIA request had asked for information such as emails, text messages, memos, intelligence bulletins and threat assessments, after-action reports, and suspicious activity reporting regarding the cocaine found in the West Wing of the White House on July 2.
The Secret Service states that the requested information could potentially “interfere with enforcement proceedings.”
Typically, when an agency denies a FOIA request under the “enforcement proceedings” exemption, it’s signaling that releasing the requested information could hinder ongoing or future law enforcement actions.
The Secret Service told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the investigation remains “open and active” and that disclosure of documents and records is prohibited under the federal FOIA until cases are closed and adjudicated.
The failed request is the latest development in the saga around hard drugs found at the White House.
‘Unknown Item’ Prompts White House Evacuation
On the evening of July 2, a substance initially described as an “unknown item” was found in the White House library, prompting a brief evacuation.“The White House complex went into a precautionary closure as officers from the Secret Service Uniformed Division investigated an unknown item found inside a work area,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.
The discovery of the mysterious substance in the West Wing prompted the dispatch of a Hazmat team as well as the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department and EMS.
“The D.C. Fire Department was called to evaluate and quickly determined the item to be non-hazardous,” Mr. Guglielmi said, noting that the item was sent out for further evaluation and an investigation into how it entered the White House is pending.
“We have a yellow bar stating cocaine hydrochloride,” the firefighter can be heard saying on the call.
Cocaine Possibly Dropped by Authorized Person
As the investigation progressed, Mr. Guglielmi would later tell The Epoch Times that the substance may have been brought in by someone who works there or had authorization to be there.According to Mr. Guglielmi, the drugs were discovered in an area where West Wing staff, media personnel, visitors, and others involved in the security screening process gather. He declined to provide detailed information due to security reasons.
The White House won’t initially be involved in the investigation, but that could change. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration would “let the Secret Service do its job” before determining what action it needs to take.
“We will take any action that is appropriate and warranted pending the outcome of the Secret Service [investigation],” Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters during the weekly White House press briefing.
She said the substance was found in an area that’s “heavily traveled.”
Republicans Raise Security Concerns
Following the discovery of the drugs and subsequent investigation, some Republicans have raised concerns about security at the White House.Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on July 5 pressed the Secret Service to disclose more details about its investigation.
The letter posed a series of questions to Ms. Cheatle, seeking clarification on the security of the complex and requesting details on the agency’s plan to address any identified security flaws.
“If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws,” wrote Mr. Cotton, a member of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism.
He also requested a “complete list” of individuals who can enter the White House without undergoing full security screenings and those who are subject to lesser security screening requirements than those entering the West Wing, along with “the reasons such individuals are not subject to complete screening.”
Separately, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has requested a formal briefing from the Secret Service over the discovery of the cocaine by July 14.
Drugs in the White House
While it’s unclear how the cocaine got into the White House, it isn’t the first time that illicit drugs have made their way onto the premises.Rapper Snoop Dogg told comedian Jimmy Kimmel in 2014 that he smoked marijuana in a White House bathroom.
Former President Jimmy Carter revealed in the documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” that his son Chip smoked “a big fat Austin torpedo” with Willie Nelson on the White House roof in 1980.
Ms. Slick reportedly had 600 micrograms of LSD powder in her pocket, and her plan was to drop it into the president’s teacup during a conversation, but the plan didn’t come to fruition as she was turned away at the door by security.
