Rep. James Comer (R-KY) announced on Friday that the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability would be investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of cocaine at the White House on Sunday.
Comer, chair of the committee, announced his intentions to investigate the incident in a letter to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, saying that there are a number of security concerns to be probed after the illegal drug made it past security.
“This alarming development requires the Committee to assess White House security practices and determine whose failures led to an evacuation of the building and finding of the illegal substance,” Comer wrote. “The presence of illegal drugs in the White House is unacceptable and a shameful moment in the White House’s history.”
Comer noted that the committee had widespread investigative authority to look into “any matter” at “any time.”
“Congress funds White House security procedures, and the Secret Service has a responsibility to maintain effective safety protocols. This incident and the eventual evacuation of staff now clearly raises concerns about the level of security maintained at the White House,” Comer said in a statement. “The Committee has oversight jurisdiction over USSS operations, and I look forward to additional information from Director Cheatle.”
Comer asked Cheatle to schedule a briefing with the committee over the incident.
The cocaine, which was discovered on Sunday, was reportedly found inside a cubby near the White House’s West Executive entrance. Initial reports said that the cocaine was found in a reference lobby, then officials claimed that it was found in a West Wing “work area.”
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Sen Tom Cotton (R-AR) has also asked Cheatle to provide more information on the investigation. “If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws,” he wrote in a Wednesday letter.
The Republican senator, who requested a response by July 14, said he wants to know if any other drugs have been discovered in the past year and how often the Secret Service audits its security practices.
“Illegally possessing cocaine is a crime under federal law. If the Secret Service discovers the identity of the individual who brought illicit cocaine into the White House complex, will they make an arrest under this provision?” Cotton asked.
Conservative talk radio host and former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino said on Wednesday that a family member must have been the one to take cocaine into the White House.