(The Center Square) – The Committee on Oversight and Accountability plans look into how cocaine ended up in the West Wing of the White House.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Kentucky, sent a letter to United States Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Friday requesting a briefing and information related to the discovery of cocaine in the White House.
“The presence of illegal drugs in the White House is unacceptable and a shameful moment in the White House’s history,” Comer wrote in the letter. “Congress funds White House security procedures, and the Secret Service has a responsibility to maintain effective safety protocols. This incident and the eventual evacuation of staff now clearly raises concerns about the level of security maintained at the White House.”
Comer asked Cheatle for a staff level briefing on the matter by July 14.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., sent a letter to Cheatle requesting that she release information about the cocaine. He also requested Cheatle provide the Secret Service’s procedures for keeping the White House complex secure.
As previously reported by The Center Square, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre largely referred questions Wednesday about cocaine found in the White House over the weekend to the U.S. Secret Service, which is investigating the matter.
The Secret Service confirmed Wednesday that the white powder found in the West Wing on Sunday was cocaine.
The Secret Service continues to investigate how the illegal drug got there.
The cocaine was found during a routine search, according to a Secret Service spokesperson.
The White House was temporarily closed on Sunday evening after agents discovered the white powder inside a work area. The building was temporarily closed to allow law enforcement to investigate.
President Joe Biden was not at the White House at the time. He left with his wife for Camp David, the President’s country residence in Maryland, on Friday.
Cocaine, a central nervous system stimulant, is illegal in the United States.
