White House Calls NY Post ‘Irresponsible’ For Asking About Cocaine Ties To Biden Family

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized The NY Post on Friday, describing their direct question about the ownership of the cocaine found in the West Wing as “irresponsible.” During her regular briefing, The Post asked, “Can you say once and for all whether or not the cocaine belonged to the Biden family?” This query followed deputy press secretary Andrew Bates’ refusal to respond to a similar question, in which he invoked the Hatch Act in an unusual manner, a law that limits political activities of White House employees.

Instead of addressing the ongoing Secret Service investigation or expressing confidence that the drugs did not belong to anyone associated with the White House, Jean-Pierre turned her attention to the reporter, accusing them of irresponsible reporting. She began, “You know, there has been some irresponsible reporting about the family.” Jean-Pierre reiterated that the Biden family was not present at the White House during the incident, emphasizing their absence at Camp David from Friday through Monday, and returning on Tuesday. She deemed the question highly irresponsible and chose to leave it at that.

Earlier in the briefing, Jean-Pierre defended Bates’ non-response by explaining that he mentioned the Hatch Act due to the question’s reference to Donald Trump. She urged the reporters to read the full transcript to understand Bates’ intent.

Contrary to the statements made, it is worth noting that the first family, including Hunter Biden, did not leave the White House for Camp David until approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 30, which was nearly 48 hours prior to the discovery of the small bag of illegal white powder by a Secret Service agent.

Despite the drugs being found five days earlier, the White House has yet to explicitly deny that the cocaine belonged to any member of the president’s family or staff. They consistently refer reporters to the Secret Service. However, Jean-Pierre stated that they have exhaustively answered and debated this question in the past few days.

During the briefing, national security adviser Jake Sullivan hinted that external workers might have been responsible for the presence of cocaine in one of the world’s most secure buildings. He mentioned that the Situation Room has been out of use due to ongoing construction and an alternative room has been utilized, with only workers involved in the preparations having access. Sullivan also emphasized the rigorous drug testing policies at the White House and assured that appropriate consequences would follow if the drugs were linked to someone within the White House. He distinguished between such a scenario and the possibility that a visitor may have brought the drugs, which would raise different and less relevant questions.

Initial reports suggested that the bag of cocaine was discovered in the White House library, stemming from a misinterpretation of the audio recording of responding firefighters who mentioned “the library” in relation to the cocaine. However, it was clarified that the responders were referring to a field test of the substance, which did not indicate any positive match against the hazardous materials “library” they consult. These details were provided by freelance journalist Andrew Leyden, who initially broke the story after observing a Hazmat team at the executive mansion.

{Matzav.com}