Neither President Joe Biden nor his top spokesperson had much to say Wednesday about the cocaine discovered over the Fourth of July weekend in the West Wing of the White House.
When a reporter shouted a question about the cocaine to Biden in the afternoon, the president didn’t respond.
Later, during the daily briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly referred reporters to the Secret Service, which is leading the investigation of the matter.
The Daily Signal asked whether the White House supported prosecuting whoever took the cocaine into the West Wing. Two other reporters later asked the same.
“Does the White House support the prosecution of this individual?”
“I’m just not going to get into hypotheticals from here,” Jean-Pierre said. “Let the Secret Service do their job. It is under their purview. We are confident they are going to get to the bottom of it. I’m just not going to get ahead of this at this time.”
Biden’s press secretary gave similar responses to numerous other questions. She did note in response to one question: “The president thinks this is very important.”
She did say, however, that there was a “staff-led tour” of the West Wing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Jean-Pierre also wouldn’t be specific as to what part of the West Wing the cocaine was discovered in.
“When people visit the West Wing, there is an area of the West Wing where it is highly traveled,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is what happens. People come through this area that is highly traveled. I’m just not going to get into specifics. I’m not going to get ahead of the Secret Service. I’ll let them speak to that.”
It isn’t clear whether security cameras cover the area of the West Wing where the cocaine was discovered. Jean-Pierre said she didn’t want to get ahead of the Secret Service, when asked about it.
Pundits characterized the discovery as unprecedented.
Veteran NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell said Wednesday: “I can’t even fathom anything like this having been found before in the West Wing.”
Conservative commentator Glenn Beck tweeted: “I don’t think a talk show host has EVER reported about the Secret Service finding COCAINE at the White House. If only there were security cameras so we could figure out whether it belonged to Hunter Biden. But no, why would the White House have cameras?!”
Law enforcement identified the white powder found at the White House on Sunday as cocaine.
Cocaine in a small zip bag reportedly was discovered in a storage facility in a cubbyhole of the West Wing, where both guests on tours and staff enter and where tourists are instructed to leave their cellphones.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who worked under President George W. Bush, called for more details.
“With the exception of the WH Mess and the bathrooms, the entire West Wing is a work area,” Fleischer asked. “Where exactly was the cocaine found? In whose office? In the Sit Room? In the private office next to the Oval?”
The discovery caused a brief shutdown Sunday.
Officials with the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department said the white substance tested positive for “cocaine hydrochloride,” according to news reports.
Neither the president nor his son Hunter Biden—known for his past cocaine abuse—was in the White House over the weekend, officials said. The first family left for Camp David on Friday and returned for Independence Day festivities Tuesday.
The Secret Service didn’t respond to inquiries from The Daily Signal about this story.
Meghan McCain, former co-host of ABC’s “The View” and daughter of 2008 Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, tweeted about a media double standard.
“No Republican president could have someone pose topless on the White House lawn at an official event FOLLOWED BY cocaine being found in the White House and not have the media just go absolutely bat s— insane,” McCain wrote on Twitter.
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