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Cocaine was discovered at the White House, but claims connecting the drug to Biden are unfounded
If Your Time is short
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Authorities said they were unable to identify who left the cocaine discovered July 2 at The White House.
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The cocaine was found in a storage area where visitors touring the White House must leave their cellphones.
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White House officials have said Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland the weekend the cocaine was discovered.
Secret Service officers discovered cocaine at the White House on July 2 and closed an investigation into who left it there about two weeks later, citing a lack of evidence.
Claims that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden are responsible also lack evidence.
Nevertheless, some social media posts continue to perpetuate that rumor.
"BIDEN AND HIS SON SNORTING COCAINE IN THE WHITE HOUSE… MAYBE OBAMA TOO!!!" a Sept. 15 Instagram post said.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
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The cocaine was found in a storage area where visitors touring the White House must leave their cellphones, according to the Secret Service and news reports.
White House officials have said Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland the weekend the cocaine was discovered.
Featured Fact-check
We’ve previously fact-checked other claims supposedly connecting the Bidens to the drug, such as a video of Hunter Biden that was mischaracterized as showing him at the White House the same day the cocaine was found.
PolitiFact rates claims based on the information known at the time the statement is made.
In July, on Sept. 15, and now, this one is unfounded.
We rate it False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Sept. 15, 2023
U.S. Secret Service statement, July 13, 2023
BBC, White House cocaine: US Secret Service ends investigation, July 13, 2023
PolitiFact, Fourth of July video featuring Hunter Biden wasn’t taken same day cocaine discovered at White House, July 13, 2023
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More by Ciara O'Rourke
Cocaine was discovered at the White House, but claims connecting the drug to Biden are unfounded
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