Secret Service says it ‘disposed of’ cocaine found at White House after report of infighting, DNA hit
WASHINGTON — The Secret Service said Monday it “disposed of” cocaine found last year at the White House — responding to a report about alleged infighting on its fate following a partial DNA match.
“The evidence from that investigation was disposed of in accordance with retention policies,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Post in an email.
Guglielmi did not state the specific retention policy, but broadly dismissed as “false” allegations outlined by a trio of sources to RealClearPolitics, which reported that President Biden’s then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle wanted to destroy the cocaine but faced internal opposition.
Cheatle was “really pissed off” when her request was rebuffed by subordinates who cited protocols requiring that the evidence be retained for seven years, the publication reported.
Two sources told the outlet that Cheatle or someone speaking at her direction called the agency’s forensics division vault supervisor Matt White and asked him to dispose of the evidence because leadership wanted to close the case.
Three sources connected to the Secret Service told RealClearPolitics that DNA had been recovered from the half-used dime bag, allowing for a “partial hit” in a national database after the drug was found on July 2, 2023 — two days after a gathering of the Biden family.
The Secret Service closed its investigation just 11 days after the cocaine was found — without interviewing any potential suspects — giving the impression that the agency wasn’t interested in learning the facts behind the embarrassing incident.
It’s unclear when exactly the agency destroyed the small bag of cocaine — the loss of which likely set its owner back less than $100 — or if there was any attempt to follow up on the alleged DNA partial match.
Cheatle’s alleged interest in getting rid of the evidence was notable in part because she landed her post after a push by first lady Jill Biden and her top aide Anthony Bernal, who serves as an important liaison between the extended Biden family and officials.
White’s superior, Secret Service forensics division chief Glenn Dennis, reportedly consulted with the agency’s Uniformed Division’s acting chief Richard Macauley and decided to oppose destroying the cocaine.
“[The] protocol is, whether you act on the [DNA] hit or not, we still have to maintain evidence for a period of up to seven years,” one source told RealClearPolitics. “It became a big to-do.”
“A decision was made not to get rid of the evidence, and it really pissed off Cheatle,” a source told the outlet.
Cheatle resigned on July 23 in the aftermath of security failures leading to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Guglielmi did not specifically respond to the report’s assertion that there was a partial DNA hit and that Macauley may have been retaliated against when passed over for a promotion following his alleged resistance to destroying the cocaine.
“The congressional oversight committees need to put White under oath and confirm the ‘partial hit,’” one source told RealClearPolitics.
The drug was found in the downstairs of the West Wing near the Situation Room — in a locker used for cellphones and other personal items.
The discovery sparked intense speculation that a member of the Biden family might be involved, though the White House denounced such speculation as “irresponsible.”
President Biden’s adult children Hunter Biden, 54, and Ashley Biden, 43, have both abused cocaine in the past, and the 81-year-old president’s political foes joked that the eldest Biden, a lifelong teetotaler, may have even used it himself ahead of particularly energetic and lucid public remarks.
In a striking contrast with the cocaine case, the Biden White House in 2021 took a much harsher approach with staffers who admitted to using marijuana in the past — firing at least five aides as potential security threats, despite that drug’s legal status in many states and lower risk of addiction.
