This led to the temporary closure of parts of the White House complex while emergency responders assessed whether the material was dangerous.
Hundreds of people regularly work in the West Wing of the White House.
The Secret Service added that “the Washington, D.C. Fire Department was called in to assess the object and quickly determine that it is not dangerous.”
“There is an ongoing investigation into how and why this material entered the White House,” the spokesperson said.
The Washington Post, citing an online database of emergency response communications, reported that firefighters from the Washington, D.C. Department’s Hazardous Materials Team radioed the results of an inspection of the object.
“There is a yellow bar indicating cocaine hydrochloride,” said a radio message.
Two “officials familiar with the matter” confirmed to the Washington Post that the substance found in the White House was cocaine.
Source: Washington Post / New York Times
