Karine Jean-Pierre defends White House cocaine probe that came up with nothing: Biden’s press secretary insists Secret Service did a ‘thorough’ search
Karine Jean-Pierre defends White House cocaine investigation that turned up nothing: Biden’s press secretary insists Secret Service conducted a ‘thorough’ investigation
- Joe Biden’s press secretary dismissed criticism of the investigation into a stash of cocaine found in the White House.
- Her comments come after a Secret Service spokesman admitted no one had been interviewed about the find due to civil liberties concerns.
- GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis mocked the Biden administration, joking to voters in South Carolina that his White House will be “cocaine-free.”
The White House on Monday refuted criticism of the Secret Service’s apparently botched investigation into the secret cocaine stash discovered in the West Wing.
Joe Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, claimed the investigation had been “thorough” despite the agency’s inability to find a perpetrator, interview suspects or uncover much evidence.
“We believe the Secret Service has conducted a thorough investigation,” she told reporters at a regular briefing.
Jean-Pierre repeatedly refused to ask if Joe Biden was disappointed that the Secret Service could not find the culprit.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that the Secret Service investigation had been “thorough,” despite Republican claims of a cover-up.
The Secret Service ended the investigation after ruling that interviewing the narrow list of 500 people who could be responsible could be a fruitless task.
GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis seized on the latest developments and mocked the Biden administration by telling a crowd of supporters in South Carolina that if he wins the election next year, the White House would be “cocaine-free.”
The Secret Service concluded its investigation last week, saying the cocaine package turned up no usable forensic evidence, including fingerprints or DNA.
Video footage of the area where the package was found also provided no evidence to narrow the list of suspects, the agency said.
“Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to distinguish a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gugliemi told NBC News that the agency ruled questioning all 500 people believed to be possible suspects could be a strain on resources.
Officials also believed the investigation would infringe on civil liberties and likely be fruitless without corresponding physical evidence tying someone to the drugs.
Gugliemi said the small amount of cocaine, 208 milligrams or about 0.007 ounce, would only result in a misdemeanor charge in the District of Columbia.
The substance was found Sunday, July 2, prompting a hazmat evacuation of the White House while President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David for the long holiday weekend.
It’s unclear how long the bag was there before it was discovered, and officials set low expectations in identifying who brought it.
The location for the cocaine discovery has changed three times since its discovery: first in the library, then in a work area in the West Wing, and finally in a cell phone locker.
For some 11 days after the discovery, there were no signs from officials as to who the perpetrator is who brought the illegal drug onto the property and the Biden administration continued to brush off questions about the matter.
However, Biden critics came to their own conclusion, claiming that the president’s recovering addicted son, Hunter, 53, was responsible for bringing cocaine into the White House.
GOP hopeful Ron DeSantis joked at a South Carolina campaign rally that his White House would be “cocaine-free.” At his latest event, LGBT protesters raised a rainbow flag to express their anger at his so-called ‘War on Woke’.
Secret Service and Administration officials remained silent on the details of the discovery — which only fueled trolls who want to link the incident to Hunter Biden.
A full USSS statement was released on Thursday detailing what the agency was doing to investigate the matter.
But it concluded by saying it would close the investigation without finding who brought the cocaine into the White House.
“No surveillance video footage was found that provided investigative clues or other means for investigators to identify who deposited the found substance in this area,” the statement claims.
The statement ended with, “At this time, the Secret Service investigation is closed due to lack of physical evidence.” this.
Several former officials familiar with where the cocaine was found say there are cameras, guestbook logs and security at all times in the West Wing where the cocaine was left.