House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is calling on the head of the U.S. Secret Service to give Congress more information about the bag of cocaine found inside the White House in recent days.
He blasted the illicit discovery as a “shameful” moment for the White House in a letter to Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle, demanding a staff-level briefing on the matter by next week.
“This alarming development requires the Committee to assess White House security practices and determine whose failures led to an evacuation of the building and finding of the illegal substance,” Comer wrote, adding that his committee would need “additional information.”
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“The presence of illegal drugs in the White House is unacceptable and a shameful moment in the White House’s history,” the top Republican wrote.
“This incident has raised additional concerns with the Committee regarding the level of security maintained at the White House. In order to assist the Committee with its investigation, please provide a staff level briefing on this matter by July 14, 2023.”
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There have been conflicting reports about where the cocaine was found. When the news first broke, it was alleged the substance had been found in the White House library. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday that it was in a “heavily traveled” part of the West Wing. Multiple outlets reported on Thursday that it was found near the West Executive entrance, a more secure location than previously thought.
The Secret Service is currently investigating the incident, which the White House said occurred while President Biden and his family were away at Camp David.
“Where this was discovered is a heavily-traveled area where many White House West Wing – I should be even more specific – West Wing visitors come through this particular area, I just don’t have anything more to share,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.
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The cocaine discovery has prompted even more intense scrutiny from Biden’s Republican critics, many of whom are already accusing the president of improperly being influenced by his son Hunter Biden’s former foreign business ties.
Some of Biden’s critics have even questioned if the cocaine belonged to Hunter, a recovering drug addict.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote to the Secret Service on Wednesday to demand more information on the finding.
“If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws,” he wrote.