(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In a startling development, Karine Jean-Pierre, the Press Secretary for the Biden White House, championed the Secret Service for what some Republicans called a cover-up investigation of the cocaine found in the East Wing.
Jean-Pierre’s statements come amidst a wave of controversy engulfing the Biden administration, with lingering questions surrounding the case’s management.
When questioned about the White House’s satisfaction with the investigation, which failed to identify any suspects, Jean-Pierre stated, “We believe that Secret Service did a thorough investigation. I’m certainly not going to opine on the investigation, of course, we’re going to have confident that they’re going to do their jobs and do everything that they can to get to the bottom of this.”
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE on the White House cocaine scandal: "We believe that Secret Service did a thorough investigation … there are hundreds of visitors that travel through this area where the cocaine was found!" pic.twitter.com/3Zu48u6TwT
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 17, 2023
The press secretary was further asked if President Joe Biden was content with the Secret Service’s explanation that the lack of a suspect was due to the high volume of individuals entering the White House.
“What I will say is that the Secret Service did a thorough investigation,” Jean-Pierre reiterated. “That’s what we believe. They put out a public statement. I think that’s important. Anything else, detailing any details or any more information, I’d reach out to the Secret Service.
"Is the president satisfied with the explanation that someone was able to bring an illegal substance into the White House because there are hundreds of people who come here?"
Karine Jean-Pierre: "I would reach out to the Secret Service." pic.twitter.com/bprfJgg8tD
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 17, 2023
Tensions rose during the press briefing as reporters pressed Jean-Pierre for more information. When asked about President Biden’s reaction upon learning that the investigation yielded no suspect, Jean-Pierre curtly replied, “No,” cutting off further inquiry.
Jean-Pierre’s dismissive stance throughout the cocaine scandal is likely to intensify speculation of a potential cover-up involving officials within the Secret Service.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., criticized the Secret Service’s questionable explanation for closing the investigation.
“I take this very seriously,” Cotton said on Sunday during an interview with Fox News. “What if this was anthrax? This is supposed to be the most secure building in the world. If the Secret Service closed down this investigation after a few days, it’s my understanding they barely conducted any interviews.”
Drawing attention to the Biden family, Cotton said, “I don’t think they interviewed the president’s son, who’s a known cocaine addict, “This is like if Hamburglar lived in the White House and all the hamburgers disappeared, and they said they didn’t have any suspects or no one they could question.”
While accusations fly, the legacy media has largely avoided delving into the scandal, accusing Republicans of excessive focus and politicization of the disconcerting discovery at the White House.
If the Secret Service and President were serious about finding who brought cocaine into the White House—supposed to be the most secure building in the world—they would not have concluded their investigation so quickly with no suspects. pic.twitter.com/hgJiaC6Agp
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 16, 2023