{"id":1970554,"date":"2023-07-12T09:51:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T13:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-refuses-to-hand-over-records-regarding-cocaine-in-white-house\/"},"modified":"2023-07-12T09:52:33","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T13:52:33","slug":"secret-service-refuses-to-hand-over-records-regarding-cocaine-in-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-refuses-to-hand-over-records-regarding-cocaine-in-white-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Service denies release of White House cocaine records."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsecret-service-refuses-to-hand-over-records-regarding-cocaine-in-white-house%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1970554&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<h2>The U.S. Secret Service Denies FOIA Request for White House Cocaine Records<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. Secret Service has refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records relating to the cocaine that was recently found in the White House, citing the potential for interference in an ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JasonLeopold\/status\/1678800907537117184?s=20\">dated July 11<\/a>, the Secret Service told Bloomberg Business investigative reporter Jason Leopold that the FOIA request he made to the agency for records regarding the White House cocaine cannot be complied with.<\/p>\n<p>Leopold\u2019s FOIA request had asked for information such as emails, text messages, memos, intelligence bulletins and threat assessments, after-action reports, and suspicious activity reporting regarding the cocaine found in the West Wing of the White House on July 2.<\/p>\n<p>The reason the Secret Service gave is that the requested information could potentially \u201cinterfere with enforcement proceedings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Typically, when an agency denies a FOIA request under the \u201cenforcement proceedings\u201d exemption, it is signaling that releasing it could hinder ongoing or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-refuses-to-hand-over-records-regarding-cocaine-in-white-house\/\" title=\"Secret Service denies release of White House cocaine records.\">future law enforcement actions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service told The Epoch Times in an earlier statement that it was investigating the discovery of the cocaine.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times has reached out to the Secret Service with a request to provide more details regarding the justification for the FOIA denial.<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service\u2019s refusal to comply with the FOIA request and its resorting to the \u201cenforcement proceedings\u201d exemptions is the latest development in the saga around hard drugs found at the White House.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5385464\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/10\/id5385464-07102023-DSC06689-White-House-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    The White House in Washington on July 10, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu\/The Epoch Times)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Unknown Item\u2019 Prompts White House Evacuation<\/h2>\n<p>On the evening of July 2, a substance initially described as an \u201cunknown item\u201d was found in the White House library, prompting a brief evacuation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe White House complex went into a precautionary closure as officers from the Secret Service Uniformed Division investigated an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/substance-found-in-white-house-library-appears-to-be-cocaine\/\" title=\"Cocaine discovered in White House library.\">unknown item found inside<\/a> a work area,\u201d Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications, U.S. Secret Service, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n<p>The discovery of the mysterious substance in the West Wing prompted the dispatch of a Hazmat team as well as the D.C. Fire Department and EMS.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe D.C. Fire Department was called to evaluate and quickly determined the item to be non-hazardous,\u201d Guglielmi added, noting that the item was sent out for further evaluation and an investigation into how it entered the White House is pending.<\/p>\n<p>While the Secret Service did not identify the nature of the substance, a D.C. firefighter said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/openmhz.com\/system\/dcfd?time=1688345376001\">radio dispatch call<\/a> at 8:49 p.m. on July 2 that the substance had tested positive for cocaine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/substance-found-in-white-house-tests-positive-for-cocaine\/\" title=\"Cocaine detected in substance at White House.\">yellow bar stating cocaine hydrochloride<\/a>,\u201d the firefighter can be heard saying on the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBag it up and take it out,\u201d the firefighter added, presumably addressing someone on the Hazmat team.<\/p>\n<h2>Cocaine Possibly Dropped by Authorized Person<\/h2>\n<p>As the investigation progressed, Mr. Guglielmi would later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/secret-service-confirms-cocaine-found-in-white-house-possibly-dropped-by-authorized-person_5376791.html\">tell The Epoch Times<\/a> that the substance may have been brought in by someone who works there or had authorization to be there.<\/p>\n<p>According to Mr. Guglielmi, the area where the drug was discovered is not accessible to the public. He explained that it\u2019s a restricted area where West Wing staff, media personnel, visitors, and others involved in the security screening process gather. He declined to provide detailed information due to security reasons.<\/p>\n<p>The White House will not initially be involved in the investigation, but that could change. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration would \u201clet the Secret Service do its job\u201d before determining what action it needs to take.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will take any action that is appropriate and warranted pending the outcome of the Secret Service [investigation],\u201d Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters during the weekly White House press briefing.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Jean-Pierre said the substance was found in an area that is \u201cheavily traveled.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5373837\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/04\/id5373837-White-House-1200x900.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n    The White House in Washington, on July 2, 2023. (Daniel Slim\/AFP\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<h2>Republicans Raise Security Concerns<\/h2>\n<p>Following the discovery of the drugs and subsequent investigation, some Republicans have raised concerns about security at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on July 5 pressed the Secret Service to disclose more details about its investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe American people deserve to know whether illicit drugs were found in an area where confidential information is exchanged,\u201d Mr. Cotton wrote in a letter to Secret Service.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Secret Service declined a FOIA request for records on cocaine discovered in the White House, citing potential interference in an ongoing investigation. In a letter to Bloomberg&#8217;s Jason Leopold, dated July 11, the agency explained their refusal to comply.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":1970555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1970554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1970554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1970554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1970555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1970554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1970554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1970554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}