White House Evacuated After Suspicious Powder Found in West Wing

The White House was briefly evacuated on Sunday evening while President Joe Biden was at Camp David after the Secret Service discovered suspicious powder in a common area of the West Wing. According to two law enforcement officials, a preliminary test showed the substance was cocaine.

A senior law enforcement official told CBS News that the substance was found in a storage facility in a cubby routinely used by White House staff and guests to store cellphones. The substance was found in a common area of the West Wing, which houses the Oval Office and offices of some of the president’s top aides and support staff.

In response to the discovery of an “unknown item,” the Secret Service issued a “precautionary closure” of the White House. The evacuation was brief and the White House resumed normal operations soon after.

The Secret Service is currently investigating the incident and has not released any further information. It is unclear who the substance belonged to or how it ended up in the White House. The Secret Service has not commented on the potential security implications of the incident.