Over a week ago, a bag of suspected cocaine was found in the West Wing of the White House. The United States Secret Service has released a letter in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding this incident. The letter states that any release of the requested information “could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”
The letter was sent in response to a FOIA request filed by Jason Leopold, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Business. He shared a photo of the letter on social media, with the caption “NEW: In response to my #FOIA request, Secret Service says it cannot release any records about the cocaine found in the White House because it would interfere [with] enforcement proceedings.”
NEW: In response to my #FOIA request, Secret Service says it cannot release any records about the cocaine found in the White House because it would interfere enforcement proceedings. pic.twitter.com/28ErB3oWkL
— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) July 11, 2023
The letter cites the “foreseeable harm” standard and explains that any release of the requested information could potentially interfere with an investigation. Leopold has been offered the chance to appeal the decision within 90 days.
Since the cocaine was found, speculation has been rampant about who may have brought it into the White House. However, former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino argued that “there’s absolutely ZERO chance anyone other than a family member brought that cocaine inside the White House complex,” citing the fact that family members bypass the security checkpoints at the White House.
NEW: In response to my #FOIA request, Secret Service says it cannot release any records about the cocaine found in the White House because it would interfere enforcement proceedings. pic.twitter.com/28ErB3oWkL
— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) July 11, 2023
Questions remain as to what happened to the cocaine and who was responsible for bringing it inside the White House. However, the Secret Service has made it clear that they will not be releasing any information or records on this incident due to the potential interference with an ongoing investigation into the incident.
