White House Cocaine Probe: Questions for the FBI

by Susan Katz Keating

The investigation is closed, but questions remain. Soldier of Fortune reported last week that according to sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, officials know who touched a packet of cocaine that was found July 2 inside the White House. The Secret Service says there is no proof, and closed the investigation for lack of evidence. In order to clear up the disconnect, we posed several questions via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to a number of government agencies, including the FBI.

READ MORE about fingerprints found on a cocaine bag that was abandoned at the White House.

The main issue centers on fingerprints.

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told Soldier of Fortune that a forensic test brought back a positive hit on fingerprints.

The Secret Service said no hit was found, and cited tests by the FBI.

“The packaging was subjected to advanced fingerprint and DNA analysis,” the Secret Service said last week in a statement. “Both of these analyses were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s crime laboratory given their expertise in this area and independence from the investigation.” The FBI crime lab found nothing, according to the Secret Service.

But the FBI – which publishes many statements per day, including those regarding cocaine trafficking in the District of Columbia – has not issued an official press release about the cocaine packet. If such a press release exists, I haven’t found it.

I have questions for the FBI, and posed them via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 

Some of my FOIA questions are based on information from sources; others are the work of a journalist looking for answers. The questions are not accusations on my part, but are queries. 

READ MORE: Soldier of Fortune stands by our report on the fingerprints

Here’s what I asked the FBI.

• Did the FBI receive a cocaine sample that was found on July 2, 2023 at the White House? 
• If so, how many samples did the FBI receive? 
• What date or dates did the FBI receive any samples of cocaine that were found at the White House since January 20, 2021?
• Did the FBI test for fingerprints on one or more samples?
• When testing a cocaine packet, did the FBI find fingerprints belonging to any member of the White House staff?
• When testing a cocaine packet, did the FBI find fingerprints belonging to any member of the Biden family? 
• When testing a cocaine packet, did the FBI find fingerprints belonging to any known individual? If so, who is the person?
• If the FBI received and tested the July 2 cocaine packet, what is the chain of custody after the FBI received the packet, and where is it now? 

Additionally, I asked for a specific individual by name. I am withholding the name for now, pending official confirmation.

Soldier of Fortune has filed formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with three other agencies that are likeliest to know about the fingerprint results. In addition to the FBI, the agencies are the Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department; the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia; and the U.S. Secret Service.