WASHINGTON — President Biden’s former Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, wanted to destroy cocaine discovered at the White House last year before the perpetrator was identified after a partial DNA match in a national database, according to a new report.
Cheatle said he became “really angry” when his subordinates refused his request, citing regulations that require evidence to be kept for seven years. RealClearPolitics reported.
Two sources told the outlet that Cheatle or someone acting under her direction called Matt White, head of vaults for the Secret Service’s forensic division, and asked him to dispose of the evidence, saying Secret Service officials wanted the case closed.
Three sources connected to the Secret Service told the magazine that DNA was recovered from a bag of half-used dimes, allowing for a “partial match” in a national database, shortly after the drugs were discovered on July 2, 2023, two days after the Biden family gathered at the Executive Mansion.
The Secret Service dropped the investigation just 11 days after the cocaine was found, without even interviewing any suspects, giving the impression that the agency had no interest in finding out the facts behind this embarrassing case.
The small bag was reportedly kept in response to backlash against Cheatle, who took the job under pressure from First Lady Jill Biden’s office and aide Anthony Bernal, who serves as the Biden family’s key liaison with senior administration officials.
White’s boss, Secret Service Forensics Chief Glenn Dennis, reportedly consulted with the agency’s Uniformed Division and decided not to destroy the cocaine.
“[The] The protocol is whether you act or not. [DNA] “They have to hold onto the evidence for up to seven years, regardless of whether there was an assault or not,” one source told RealClearPolitics. “It’s caused a big stir.”
“The decision was made not to dispose of the evidence and Mr Cheatle was really upset,” a source told the outlet.
The current location of the cocaine and future steps in the investigation are unclear, as Cheatle resigned on July 23 in the wake of security failures that led to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The cocaine was discovered in a locker near the Situation Room on a lower floor of the West Wing of the White House, where cell phones and other personal items are kept.
The discovery sparked intense speculation that members of the Biden family may have been involved, but the White House has 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 opponents have joked that the eldest son, a lifelong teetotaler, may have used cocaine himself ahead of some particularly energetic and articulate public comments.
In contrast to the cocaine cases, the Biden administration in 2021 took a much tougher stance against staffers who admitted to past marijuana use, firing at least five aides as potential security threats, even though marijuana is legal in many states and the risk of addiction is low.
Drug abuse and other vices such as gambling and spending have historically led to White House officials losing their security clearances and jobs.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
