Washington — The White House went into a “precautionary closure” on Sunday night as U.S. Secret Service officers investigated an “unknown item” that was found in the complex, the agency said Tuesday.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the D.C. Fire Department was called to evaluate the item, which it determined was “non-hazardous.” It was sent to be evaluated further, and there is a pending investigation into how it got into the White House.
The Washington Post reported that a preliminary test indicated the substance that prompted the evacuation was cocaine. The Post cited two officials familiar with the matter and an apparent recording of a radio message from a responding D.C. Fire hazmat team that said the substance tested positive for the drug.
The item was found by officers with the Secret Service’s Uniformed Division, Guglielmi said Sunday after the closures around the White House.
The item was said to be found inside a work area of the West Wing, which houses the Oval Office and offices of some of the president’s top aides and support staff.
President Biden was not at the White House over the weekend. He, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and members of their family departed for Camp David on Friday. They returned to the White House on Tuesday for an event with the National Education Association and Fourth of July festivities.
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