(The Center Square) – Questions continue about the failed investigation into who brought cocaine into the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre continued to refer questions about the matter to the U.S. Secret Service, which led the investigation. After 11 days, the Secret Service detailed the steps it took to track down the culprit, but it ultimately closed the probe “due to a lack of physical evidence.”
The failure to find who was responsible for bringing an illegal drug into one of the nation’s most secure building has left many scratching their heads. Some Republicans have criticized the investigation, including former President Donald Trump.
“I don’t think it’s possible for bags of cocaine to be left in a certain area, in the Situation Room,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.
Jean-Pierre said Monday that lots of people visit the White House.
“Look, I’m just not going to opine on this, not going to get into specific on this. We believe the Secret Service did a thorough investigation,” she said. “We’ve been briefed on the outcome. They shared the detail in a public statement, which I think is important for the American people to hear directly from the Secret Service, who did the investigation.”
The White House is a busy place, she added.
“Look, and one of the things that they said in the public statement is hundreds of people come through this particular area, and – and it – so it’s a heavily traveled working area,” she said. “And so that’s what they were able to find doing this thorough investigation.”
Jean-Pierre declined to comment on President Joe Biden’s reaction to the Secret Service closing the probe without finding out who was responsible.
After the cocaine was found in the West Wing, Jean-Pierre said Biden was confident that the Secret Service would “get to the bottom of this.”
A reporter asked if Biden was “satisfied with the explanation that someone was able to bring an illegal substance into the White House because there are hundreds of people who come here every day.”
Jean-Pierre didn’t say if the Biden was satisfied.
“What I will say is that the Secret Service did a thorough investigation,” she said. “That’s what we believe. They put out a public statement. I think that’s important.”
While the Secret Service has closed its investigation, Republicans plan to continue to look at what happened.
Earlier this month, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability said it 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.”
