National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan hinted Friday that the cocaine could have come from construction workers, as the area of the White House where it was found is being renovated.
Sullivan was asked at Friday’s press briefing if he had any national security concerns after a bag of the drug was found Sunday near the Situation Room.
He revealed that the coke’s proximity to the Situation Room wasn’t a problem, because the space hasn’t been in use.
‘I would make a point about the Situation Room because I think there’s been a lot questionable reporting on this. The Situation Room is not in use and has not been in use for months because it is currently under construction,’ Sullivan said.
‘We are using an alternative Situation Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, so the only people coming in and going out of the Sit Room in this period have been workers who are getting it ready to go,’ he added.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan hinted Friday that the cocaine could have come from construction workers, as the area of the White House where it was found is being renovated
The cocaine was first said to have been found in the White House Library, then the West Wing Lobby and then finally the West Executive Entrance, which is nearby the Situation Room that is currently under renovation
He said that the project is ‘on time and on schedule,’ then adding, ‘No, there was no issue with the Situation Room relative to this.’
Sullivan went further by noting that there are ‘rigorous drug testing policies at the White House.’
‘We have rigorous drug use policies at the White House. We take those extremely seriously,’ he continued.
‘If it involves someone from the White House the appropriate consequences will ensue. If it involves some visitor who came in and left it, then that’s a different matter, that raises a diffrent set of questions that are less relevant to my line of work,’ he said.
Sullivan’s comments were made at the same briefing that press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre snapped at a reporter who had asked her to say ‘once and for all’ that the cocaine found at the White House did not belong to a Biden family member.
Instead of giving a straight yes or no answer, she left the door cracked – instead calling the asking of the question ‘incredibly irresponsible.’
The cocaine at the White House was found near the White House’s West Executive entrance (pictured)
The Situation Room pictured in February 2022. A temporary Situation Room is being used in the Eisenhower Executive Office Room while construction continues
Jean-Pierre argued the question had been answered because she had told the press that the Biden family was at Camp David when the cocaine discovery was made.
‘You know, there has been some irresponsible reporting about the family and so I’ve got to call that out here,’ the press secretary said. ‘And I have been very clear.’
‘I was clear two days ago, when talking about this over and over again as I was being asked a question, as you know, and media outlets reported this – the Biden family was not here, they were not here, they were at Camp David,’ she continued. ‘They were not here Friday, they were not here Saturday, they were not here Sunday. They were not even here Monday. They came back here on Tuesday.’
‘So to ask that question is actually incredibly irresponsible, and I’ll just leave it there,’ she said.
She then slammed her briefing book off the podium.
President Biden had been at the White House Friday – delivering remarks after the Supreme Court ruled that his student loan forgiveness plan was unconstitutional.
Additionally, Hunter Biden was spotted leaving the White House with the president and first lady Jill Biden last Friday, as they departed for the Camp David trip.
Prior to Friday’s briefing, Jean-Pierre had answered questions about the cocaine discovery by telling reporters to reach out to the Secret Service, who are conducting an investigation.
As of Friday afternoon prior to the briefing, a spokesman for the Secret Service told DailyMail.com that the probe remained ‘open and active.’
When a question was posed to deputy press secretary Andrew Bates on board Air Force One Thursday, he brought up the Hatch Act.
Bates had been asked about former President Donald Trump claiming the drugs belonged to the president and his son Hunter, a recovering crack cocaine addict.
Jean-Pierre was asked Friday to explain Bates’ decision to reference the Hatch Act, instead of answer the claims directly.
‘He mentioned the Hatch Act because the question was posed to him using Donald Trump, and so he was trying to be very mindful,’ she answered. ‘And that’s why he said the Hatch Act.’
She told the reporter to read the transcript carefully.
‘So we’re not avoiding the question, that is not true. We have answered this question, we have litigated this question the last two days, exhaustively,’ she said.
