President of the United States, Joe Biden, was visibly amused when reporters barraged him with questions regarding cocaine use during a picture opportunity in the Oval Office.
On Sunday night, the Secret Service found what they believed to be cocaine after testing suspicious powder they found. Detractors of President Biden were quick to jump on the news, blaming his son, Hunter, and making fun of his battle with addiction.
The finding received extensive media attention on an otherwise sluggish news day (July 5) as a full lab panel verified the preliminary test identifying the material as cocaine.
The White House press and foreign travel pool were present when the president met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the Oval Office.
While the video makes it hard to see what was discussed after each leader’s brief statements, the pool began yelling questions. According to pool reports, the topic of cocaine did come up, and Biden can be seen mouthing the words “Come on!”
After roughly 3 minutes, reporters were asked to leave. After being asked if Zelenskyy should attend the NATO conference, Biden grinned and avoided answering questions.
Since the substance was found in a heavily traveled section of the West Wing, one person involved with the inquiry warned that tracing its origin was exceedingly improbable.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre verified the claim that the cocaine was found in a highly trafficked part of the building during her briefing on Wednesday. She also underlined that President Joe Biden and his family traveled for their customary Fourth of July vacation on Friday and returned on Tuesday.
The cocaine was discovered on Sunday at about 6 p.m. by a Secret Service uniformed division officer. The White House’s security measures were momentarily increased since the officer had no idea what the material was. The District of Columbia Fire Department was contacted, and after initial inspection, the item was determined to be nonhazardous and delivered to a central lab for further analysis.
