The investigation into the discovery of cocaine in the White House in early July was concluded without a suspect due to a lack of information, said the Secret Service, which is responsible for the security of high-ranking American civil servants.
• Also read: White House evacuation: White powder identified as cocaine
“Without specific leads, the investigation is unable to target a suspect among the hundreds of people who walked down the hallway where the cocaine was found,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
The substance had been discovered in the west wing of the White House in an area frequented by outside visitors, sparking a political controversy that the executive sought to appease.
The powder was initially classified as potentially hazardous, prompting a brief evacuation. Suspicious powders that regularly arrive in the mail at official US buildings are treated as a potential chemical or bacteriological attack.
After analysis, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it was indeed cocaine. The substance and its packaging were then sent to the FBI for the presence of fingerprints or DNA.
In vain, the Secret Service announced on Thursday and thus prevented a comparison of the information with visitors from the days before the discovery.
“No video surveillance image gave any indication of the investigation,” the Secret Service also said.
Republican-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday condemned the decision to close the investigation, lamenting investigators’ failure to drug test potential suspects.
“A total failure,” the Trumpist-elect denounced on Twitter.
There was much speculation in the American media about the identity of those responsible, and several right-wing figures immediately pointed the finger at the President’s son, Hunter Biden, for his past of addiction problems.
The White House had attempted to extinguish the ensuing blaze, saying initial clues pointed to a visitor’s responsibility.
As a result, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre had pointed out that the drugs were in an area frequently used by outside visitors invited by White House staffers.
Before entering sensitive areas of the building, these visitors must leave their phones in lockers.
The cocaine was found in one of these lockers.
She had also insisted that the Biden family was not present at the White House over the weekend the drugs were discovered.