WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A white powder found inside the White House on Sunday evening, which led to the temporary closure of part of the presidential compound, was identified by Washington firefighters as cocaine, reported the Washington Post.
The Secret Service confirmed to Reuters that an “unknown element” had been found, resulting in the closure of part of the White House, but referred further questions to firefighters, who declined to comment.
“On Sunday evening, the White House complex was closed as a precaution as Secret Service Uniformed Division agents investigated an unknown object found in a work area,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement. a press release sent by e-mail.
The object was discovered in the west wing, the spokesperson 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, as well as offices and workspace for the President’s advisers and staff.
President Joe Biden was not in the White House at the time. Hundreds of people work or regularly pass through the West Wing of the White House.
“The DC Fire Department was called to assess and quickly determined the item was non-hazardous,” the Secret Service added. There was “an investigation into the cause and manner” of the substance entering the White House, the spokesperson said.
The Washington Post reported “a firefighter with the DC Department’s Hazardous Materials team radioed test results” from the article, citing an online emergency responder communications database. The radio dispatch said: “We have a yellow bar indicating cocaine hydrochloride.”
Two “officials familiar with the matter” confirmed to the Washington Post that the substance found at the White House was cocaine.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jeff Mason in Washington. Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)