Secret Service ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads

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• Published July 5, 2023
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• ‘Reagan gave us something to rap about’: how hip-hop has interacted with US politics
• Why the Secret Service closed its investigation of cocaine found at the White House without conducting interviews
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• Secret Service ends White House cocaine investigation with no leads

Friends and colleagues praise his work ethic, dedication to his family, and strong moral character.Jesse Mosley– Ponchatoula, LouisianaJesse Mosley is a 42-year-old man who pleaded guilty to non-violent drug offenses at the age of 19. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a significantly lower sentence. Since his release, Mr. Mosley started a business, manages rental properties, and works as a realtor. He is described as generous and deeply committed to his family, his employees, and his community.

Published July 5, 2023

Bobby Darrell Lowery– Jackson, MississippiBobby Darrell Lowery is a 50-year-old man who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense at the age of 25. He served his sentence and successfully completed the terms of his probation. Since his release, Mr. Lowery has maintained steady employment and actively volunteers at his church and at various community-based organizations.

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Anyone who comes through the White House must give identifying information and pass through security before entering. The cocaine and packaging underwent further forensics testing, including advanced fingerprint and DNA work at the FBI’s crime laboratory, according to the summary. The presence of cocaine at the White House prompted a flurry of criticism and questions from Republicans, who requested a briefing Thursday on the probe. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden believed it was “incredibly important” for the Secret Service to get to the bottom of how the drugs ended up in the White House. U.S. Secret Service agents found the white powder during a routine White House sweep on July 2, in a heavily trafficked West Wing lobby where staff go in and out and tour groups gather to drop their phones and other belongings. The agency said there was no surveillance footage found that provided investigative leads or other ways for investigators to identify who the cocaine belonged to.

‘Reagan gave us something to rap about’: how hip-hop has interacted with US politics

The Washington Post reported that the area was near boxes where White House staff instruct visitors to leave their phones before entering the West Wing. We found social media posts that claimed the cocaine was found in various places around the White House, such as the above-displayed Facebook post that claimed it was found in an area where President Biden often worked. "The Secret Service must reassess their security operations to prevent illegal substances from entering the White House," Comer said in a statement.

Why the Secret Service closed its investigation of cocaine found at the White House without conducting interviews

Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. President Biden and his family were away at Camp David when a uniformed Secret Service agent found the substance during a patrol of the West Wing around 6 p.m. On Sunday, the person said, prompting a brief shutdown of some of the White House campus as response workers assessed whether the substance was hazardous. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. He requires ongoing chemotherapy and his physical fitness has deteriorated due to the effects of his condition and the medication he requires, the hearing was told.

When the unknown powdered substance was discovered, sections of the White House were evacuated as the Washington Fire Department was called to the scene and performed a field test that identified the substance as cocaine. The sample was sent to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland, the Secret Service statement said. That testing confirmed it was cocaine and determined it was not a biological threat like anthrax or ricin. The unusual breach of White House security was found July 2 when a uniformed Secret Service officer spotted a small plastic baggie in a storage cubby at the West Executive Avenue entrance on the ground level.

Secret Service ends investigation into cocaine found in White House without identifying a suspect - ABC News

Secret Service ends investigation into cocaine found in White House without identifying a suspect.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Colleagues, supervisors, friends, and community members uniformly praise her character and work ethic and consider her a role model, noting her demonstrated commitment to serving others. "The investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered," Secret Service officials said. White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters on July 5, 2023, that there had been tours during the weekend the cocaine was discovered at the White House, including tours held on the same day. "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," Jean-Pierre said.

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden has been briefed on the incident and noted the area where the cocaine was discovered is "heavily traveled" by visitors. It was found in a zip-close bag near an entrance where visitors taking tours are directed to leave their phones, the official said. The Secret Service received results Wednesday from tests conducted by the FBI, “which did not develop latent fingerprints and insufficient DNA was present for investigative comparisons,” the Secret Service said in a statement Thursday. Security camera video was also reviewed, but "[t]here was no surveillance video footage that produced investigative leads," the agency said. The West Wing is often frequented by visitors on staff-led tours on evenings and weekends.

In a review of recent years, the Secret Service found two incidents in which small amounts of marijuana were detected by Uniformed Division officers and reports were filed, Secret Service officials said. No charges were brought because the amounts were legal under Washington law at the time. The people were notified that they could not bring the marijuana to the White House campus, the officials said. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the location as “highly traveled,” saying, “West Wing visitors come through this particular area.” She said staff-led tours were held Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the drug was found.

Glenn Ray Royal – San Antonio, TexasGlenn Ray Royal is a 49-year-old man who pleaded guilty to a non-violent drug offense committed at the age of 20. Had Mr. Mosley been sentenced under current law and sentencing practices today, he would have received a shorter sentence. Since his release, he has earned two degrees and has steadily worked in the information technology field. He also serves as a mentor and coach for college students, assisting them with developing business plans, marketing plans, and websites.

Agents had gathered the names of several hundred people who may have passed by that area. Comer, a Kentucky Republican, later said in a statement that the Secret Service needs to reassess its security operations to ensure illegal substances do not enter the White House. President Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden were not at the White House when the cocaine was found, as they spent the weekend at Camp David before returning for Fourth of July festivities.

The enraged reaction that greeted his announcement has since given way to young Black men shifting support to Trump because they feel like Obama – ostensibly, the hip-hop president – let them down. Guglielmi said the discovery prompted a brief evacuation–President Joe Biden was at Camp David and not in the White House at the time–and response from the Washington, D.C., Fire Department, which quickly determined the substance to be nonhazardous. White House staffers frequently give guests tours of the West Wing, often at night and over the weekend.

The saga over the cocaine began just before the Fourth of July, when the White House was temporarily closed after an "unknown item" was discovered by Secret Service officers on July 2. A preliminary test conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department soon after the substance was found indicated it was cocaine. Secondary testing of powder found in the West Wing lobby of the White House was confirmed to be cocaine. President Biden was briefed on the investigation and said it is “incredibly important” for the Secret Service to determine how it got there. Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation. Testing conducted by the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department indicated that the found powder tested preliminarily positive for the presence of cocaine.

Forensic work on the cocaine bag continued Thursday, though officials are setting low expectations that they will be able to identify who left it. The cocaine was found on July 2 in a vestibule off the lobby of a lower-level West Wing entrance, stashed in a cubbyhole near the Situation Room, where officials store cellphones during meetings. The U.S. Secret Service has closed its investigation into a small bag of cocaine found just inside a different entrance to the building. Video of the West Executive street lobby entrance did not identify the person or provide any solid investigative leads, the Secret Service said. The Secret Service is responsible for securing the White House and is leading the investigation.