Secret Service declines to honor records request for White House cocaine docs

The U.S. Secret Service on Tuesday declined to honor a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for communications related to its investigation of the cocaine found at the White House, saying that to release those materials would compromise the investigation.

Bloomberg investigative reporter Jason Leopold posted the response from the Secret Service to his request, in which the agency stated that "disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings."

The rest of the letter outlined Leopold's options to challenge that determination but offered no other explanation for the agency's refusal.

NEW: In response to my #FOIA request, Secret Service says it cannot release any records about the cocaine found in the White House because it would interfere enforcement proceedings. pic.twitter.com/28ErB3oWkL

— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) July 11, 2023

Reports emerged last week that cocaine had been discovered at the White House. Both preliminary testing and subsequent tests have confirmed the white powder to be cocaine. The discovery sparked an evacuation of the premises and has led to intense media scrutiny of the affair.

The White House has largely declined to address the matter in public, prompting further scrutiny and indeed speculation that the culprit may have been someone of importance. The Secret Service has not publicly identified any suspects as of press time.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.