The Secret Service last week announced it had closed its investigation of cocaine found on July 2 in the White House due to the absence of a suspect because of a lack of physical evidence. Some observers have suggested the quickness in which the White House has attempted to sweep white dust under the rug symbolizes the imbalance in the justice system under President Joe Biden.
The investigation ended without a full White House denial that the cocaine belonged to Biden or a member of his family even though his son, Hunter Biden, has a very documented history of drug use. Instead, White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre blasted media, calling those who would question whether the drugs belonged to a Biden family member "incredibly irresponsible."
In contrast to that accusation, conservative commentator Todd Starnes – appearing on American Family Radio on Friday – argued the lack of an official denial tells people all they need to know.
"If it wasn't their cocaine, [Jean-Pierre] would be out there screaming that with a megaphone – there's no doubt about it. So, the fact that she refuses to say one way or the other, I think there's your answer," Starnes told show host Jenna Ellis last Friday.
"I mean, come on. It's the most secure building in the United States of America," he continued. "There are cameras everywhere. The security measures are very strong. There's no way anything like that would have been able to get into the White House."
Hunter Biden started heavy drinking as a teenager and confessed to abusing cocaine as a college student, according to the BBC.
Why is Hunter Biden not being discussed?
In June the president's son agreed to what many saw as a sweetheart plea deal when he admitted to two misdemeanor tax offenses and a felony firearm offense. His punishment was a pretrial diversion program but no jail time. It's possible that Hunter Biden's name associated with cocaine found at the White House would complicate the terms of his plea agreement.
A conservative media personality points out that giving up on the investigation without a suspect is unusually inefficient for the Secret Service.
"Within minutes they knew everybody's name and identity that was within a quarter mile of the Capitol on January 6. With Hunter Biden having been there for the Fourth of July celebration this is a logical conclusion. [The President's] own son has a laptop with consistent and multitudes of videos and pictures of him in possession of crack cocaine," Blaze TV show host Chad Prather told Ellis on Tuesday.
"You're telling me that the most surveilled building in the world, the White House, doesn't know who put their hand in their pocket in a secure area – and when they pulled it back out, something fell out that turns out to be an illegal bag of cocaine?"
While the Secret Service, with all its technology, was unable to pinpoint a cocaine user in the White House, it has admitted that drugs have been found at the White House three times, twice in the last year alone.
"No one was arrested in these incidents because the weight of the marijuana confiscated did not meet the legal threshold for federal charges or DC misdemeanor criminal charges as the District of Columbia had decriminalized possession," Secret Service said in a statement.
Prather reacted to that revelation, pointing out that sweeping drug news under the rug isn't a new practice for the administration. But he says it begs a larger question.
"At this stage in the game, you have to ask yourself who's the president of the United States hanging out with … like who are his guests at the White House that these illicit and illegal drugs are being brought into the White House?" Prather asked.
In a Friday article, Prather predicted the Biden administration may even try to connect the cocaine discovery to Vice President Kamala Harris as a way to show her the door. One of the many reports about the location of the cocaine said it was discovered near where the VP parks her car.
A not-so-subtle message to Joe Biden?
Perhaps the biggest oddity of the cocaine story is how it reached the news cycle.
It took an investigation by the House Oversight Committee to reveal years of improper relationships with foreign governments in an influence peddling scandal by the Biden family. But the cocaine story was leaked voluntarily to various media outlets – perhaps as a goodwill effort from the White House. Original reports stressed that it was found in a busy area used by staff as well as visitors, and it was found while the family was away.
Radio commentator Todd Starnes suggested the leaked information could be a signal that not all high-ranking Democrats want to see a second term for Joe Biden.
"It's very possible that somebody wanted this cocaine to be discovered; that somebody wanted this [information] to get out. Again, we're just now finding out about their marijuana. It's because they want us to. And why is that? Well, I think there's been an effort to try to convince Joe Biden not to run," Starnes speculated.
Offering further speculation, he believes former President Barack Obama is involved and that the cocaine story could be a not-too-subtle message presented to Biden.
"You've got Barack Obama who has set up shop [in the nation's capital]. He's living and working in Washington right now," Starnes noted, "and I think this is part of an effort to warn Joe Biden that if he does not do the right thing and step aside, then there's going to be more of these things leaking coming down the road."
