WASHINGTON — Multiple officials involved in the White House cocaine investigation now say the bag of powder was found in a cubicle near the West Executive Entrance of the White House, not in the formal West Wing lobby as previously reported.
Investigators hope to wrap up the investigation by Monday, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. The investigation was previously expected to take a couple of weeks.
Updating the location of where the cocaine was found, officials said that area was also heavily trafficked.
The cocaine was found in an entry area between the lobby and a lower-level hallway, the sources said. The entrance is near where some vehicles are parked, such as the Vice President’s limousine or SUV. It is one floor below the West Wing main offices and the same floor as the situation room and a dining room.
Forensic work on the cocaine bag continued Thursday, though officials have low expectations of being able to identify the person who left the cocaine.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during Wednesday’s news conference which of the two West Wing entrances was involved and she declined to answer. saying she would let the Secret Service talk about it.
Sources maintain that the area is heavily trafficked, in line with Jean-Pierre’s characterization in yesterday’s report. The area is visited by personalities, visitors, tourists, military personnel, and facility operations employees.
«What I wanted to make very clear is that this is a very busy and very busy area of the White House campus, to be more precise,» Jean-Pierre told reporters during Wednesday’s news conference. «It’s where visitors to the West Wing pass.»
«This is under the control of the Secret Service,» Jean-Pierre said at the briefing. «They’re currently looking into what happened over the weekend. So I would have to refer you to the Secret Service, to the Secret Service about all of this.»
The officers found the cocaine during a routine patrol, according to a Secret Service official. The substance tested positive for cocaine in a laboratory test on Wednesday.
Biden and his family were at Camp David, Maryland, not the White House, when agents discovered the cocaine.
Yesterday, Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, sent a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle requesting additional information about the investigation. Secret Service officials say they have received the letter and will respond.