It’s been almost a week since Secret Service officers found a powder that tested positive for cocaine at the White House. Yet there remain unanswered questions about its origins and those involved. While questions and concerns regarding transparency and accountability within the Biden administration grow, the White House has chosen to remain tight-lipped.
When pressed about the ownership of the illicit substance during a press briefing aboard Air Force One on Thursday, White House deputy Andrew Bates refused to provide a definitive answer, citing the Hatch Act as a reason for withholding further details.
Bates, careful not to violate the Hatch Act, refrained from confirming or denying whether the cocaine belonged to Hunter or President Biden.
When asked if he could confirm that the cocaine did not belong to the Bidens, the deputy press secretary replied, “I don’t have a response to that because we have to be careful about the Hatch Act.”
The Hatch Act, a law aimed at preventing partisan political activity within the executive branch, restricts employees from engaging in such activities while on duty or within federal facilities. While the relevance to the current situation is unclear, Bates invoked this provision to justify his reluctance to comment on the matter further.
He then deflected the question, stating, “What I will say is I have noticed there does seem to be some increasing frustration coming from that corner in general. And I think it is probably included in the contrast between their substances policy records,” Bates remarked.
On claims "the cocaine found in the White House had belonged to either the president or his son. Are you willing to say that that's not the case?"
Mid-level Biden staffer Andrew Bates: "I don't have a response to that because we have to be careful about the Hatch Act" pic.twitter.com/zuM30v5Fli
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 6, 2023
Another reporter questioned whether the White House would be transparent with the results of the investigation should the Secret Service identify the individual responsible for smuggling the cocaine into the White House.
Choosing to be evasive once again, Bates deferred to the Secret Service professionals conducting the investigation, declining to speculate on hypothetical scenarios. “I’m just not going to engage on hypotheticals,” he said.
"If the Secret Service is able to determine the individual responsible [for bringing cocaine into the White House], will the White House commit to transparency?"
Mid-level Biden staffer Andrew Bates: "I'm just not going to engage on hypotheticals" pic.twitter.com/2ADZRKlzYW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 6, 2023
Like Bates, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday refrained from commenting on whether the administration is looking to prosecute the unknown cocaine smuggler.
With the same evasiveness, she stated, “I’m just not gonna get into hypotheticals from here. Let the Secret Service do their job. It’s under their purview. We are confident that they will get to the bottom of it. I’m just not going to get ahead of this at this time.”
The discovery of cocaine at the White House occurred on Sunday evening, prompting an evacuation and the arrival of a D.C. Fire Department hazmat team.
While President Joe Biden and his family were away at Camp David when the substance was found, critics from various political backgrounds have drawn attention to the fact that Hunter Biden, who reportedly has a history of cocaine addiction, was at the White House grounds before the Biden family trip on Friday.
