James Comer demands briefing on cocaine in White House

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has requested the Secret Service fill his panel in on a bag of cocaine that was found at the White House earlier this week.

“The presence of illegal drugs in the White House is unacceptable and a shameful moment in the White House’s history,” Comer said in a Friday letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

“Congress funds White House security procedures, and the Secret Service has a responsibility to maintain effective safety protocols,” Comer went on. “This incident and the eventual evacuation of staff now clearly raises concerns about the level of security maintained at the White House.”

A Secret Service agent on Sunday discovered the “white, powdery substance” lodged in a cubby of a West Wing entrance area — not far from the Situation Room and one floor below the Oval Office, according to reports.

White House employees and guests use the holding area to store phones and other personal items that may not be taken to other parts of the complex, an official with knowledge of the situation previously told The Post.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Friday requested a Secret Service briefing on a bag of cocaine that was found at the White House earlier this week.
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The White House
A Secret Service agent on Sunday discovered the “white, powdery substance” lodged in a cubby of a West Wing entrance area.
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The Sunday evening find prompted a brief evacuation and subsequent tests by a DC hazmat team and the Secret Service confirmed the substance was cocaine.

On Wednesday, Comer told Fox News host Jason Chaffetz that he had “concerns about national security risks,” given how easily the illicit drug made its way into one of the most secure buildings in the world.

“Obviously, there are a lot of explanations that could be made for what happened there. But you know, at the end of the day, with all the money and all the security that we have around the White House, something like this should never happen,” the Republican said.


Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle
“The presence of illegal drugs in the White House is unacceptable and a shameful moment in the White House’s history,” Comer said in a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle (above).
United States Department of Homeland Security

The Oversight chairman also told Chaffetz he planned to probe how much time first son Hunter Biden — a recovering crack cocaine addict — has been spending at the executive residence.

“We’re concerned about the fact that the president’s son, who we’ve said for seven months now is a risk to our national security, is spending so much time in the White House. We have reports that say he’s spending more time there than Joe Biden is,” Comer added. “We don’t really know where Hunter Biden lives.”

The House query follows a separate briefing request from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Wednesday to determine who may have entered the West Wing at the time the drugs were left.


Cocaine
The finding prompted a brief evacuation and subsequent tests by a DC hazmat team and the Secret Service confirmed the substance was cocaine.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

“If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws,” Cotton wrote in his letter to Cheatle, asking for answers to various questions about the executive mansion’s security to be answered by next Friday, July 14, at 5 p.m.

The Arkansas Republican made a point of requesting information about people who are subject to less strict security measures — and may have bypassed the Secret Service’s K-9 screening for West Wing visitors.

“Illegally possessing cocaine is a crime under federal law. If the Secret Service discovers the identity of the individual who brought illicit cocaine into the White House complex, will they make an arrest under this provision?” Cotton also asked.


First son Hunter Biden
The Oversight chairman also told Fox News host Jason Chaffetz he planned to probe how much time first son Hunter Biden has been spending at the executive residence.
DNCC via Getty Images

The Secret Service is expected to conclude its investigation by Monday, according to NBC News, after combing through visitor logs and security camera footage to find the culprit — as well as checking for prints and DNA.

“We are doing everything possible to attempt to identify who may have brought this item into the White House,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Post on Thursday. “And that includes every resource, that includes every option available to us or to the federal government.”

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates declined to answer questions about the provenance of the white powder on Thursday, directing all reporters’ questions to the Secret Service.


President Biden
A White House spokesman declined to answer questions about the cocaine during a gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to South Carolina for a speech by President Biden.
Getty Images

“I’m going to defer to the Secret Service professionals who are carrying this out,” he said during a gaggle aboard Air Force One on the way to South Carolina. “I’m just not going to engage on hypotheticals about it.”

President Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Hunter departed the White House June 30 to Camp David, returning on Tuesday to celebrate Independence Day on the South Lawn.

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