A white powder found inside the White House, which led to the temporary closure of part of the presidential complex, was reportedly identified by the Washington DC fire department as cocaine.
The Secret Service confirmed to Reuters that an “unknown item” had been found that led to part of the White House being closed but referred other questions to the fire department, which declined to comment.
“On Sunday evening, the White House complex went into a precautionary closure as officers from the Secret Service Uniformed Division investigated an unknown item found inside a work area,” a Secret Service spokesman said in an emailed statement.
US President Joe Biden speaks during a National Education Association event in Washington, DC. Source: SIPA USA / AAP
The item was discovered in the West Wing, the spokesman said.
The West Wing is an area attached to the executive mansion where the president lives and includes the Oval Office, cabinet room and press area, along with offices and workspace for the president’s advisers and staff.
US President Joe Biden was not in the White House at the time.
Hundreds of people work in or come through the West Wing of the White House regularly.
“The DC Fire Department was called to evaluate and quickly determined the item to be non-hazardous,” the Secret Service added.
There was “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the substance entered the White House, the spokesman said.
The Washington Post reported “a firefighter with the DC department’s hazardous materials team radioed the results of a test” of the item, citing an online database of emergency responder communications.
The radio dispatch said “We have a yellow bar saying cocaine hydrochloride”.
Two “officials familiar with the matter” confirmed to the Washington Post that the substance found at the White House was cocaine.
