Washington – A substance discovered in the White House compound that caused a brief closure of the facility Sunday night tested positive for cocaine soon after it was found, according to two law enforcement officials and a radio broadcast recording from that night.
The substance was found in a common area in the West Wing, which houses the Oval Office and the offices of some of the president’s top aides and support staff. A senior law enforcement official told CBS News the substance was found in storage in a utility room routinely used by White House staff and guests to store cell phones.
The Secret Service will conduct a comprehensive review of how the substance entered the West Wing, law enforcement officials told CBS News, including examining consultation cameras and entry logs to determine who had access to the space.
The discovery of the “unknown object” prompted a “precautionary shutdown” of the White House, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi acknowledged Tuesday in a statement.
Guglielmi said DC firefighters were called to evaluate the substance and determined it was “non-hazardous.”
Further tests are underway to confirm that the substance is cocaine.
DC Fire hazmat personnel who responded to the scene Sunday night can be heard at a registration of a radio message stating that the substance tested positive for “cocaine hydrochloride”. The message was posted by the OpenMHz website, which records and archives radio dispatches from police, fire and 911 agencies.
President Biden was not in the White House over the weekend. He, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and their family members left for Camp David on Friday. They returned to the White House on Tuesday for an event featuring the National Education Association and the Fourth of July holiday.
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