- A small amount of cocaine was found at the White House in an area heavily trafficked by visitors.
- Sen. Tom Cotton just sent a letter to the Secret Service demanding a briefing on the matter.
A small amount of cocaine was recently discovered at the White House, and Sen. Tom Cotton is taking swift and decisive action.
In a letter to the Secret Service sent on Wednesday, the Arkansas Republican posed a series of questions concerning the discovery — and demanded a briefing for his staff on the matter.
"If the White House complex is not secure, Congress needs to know the details, as well as your plan to correct any security flaws," wrote Cotton. "Further, please contact my staff to arrange a briefing on this matter, as well as the provision of any answers that are classified or law enforcement sensitive."
Cotton gave the agency until 5pm on Friday to respond to the questions, which centered around security procedures at the White House.
"Illegally possessing cocaine is a crime under federal law," Cotton wrote. "If the Secret Service discovers the identity of the individual who brought illicit cocaine into the White House complex, will they make an arrest under this provision?"
He also expresses concern that the cocaine may have been "found in an area where confidential information is exchanged."
—Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 5, 2023
Cotton's letter laments that the Secret Service has not confirmed where the cocaine was found — though an agency spokesman has confirmed that a small bag of cocaine was found in a heavily-trafficked lobby area in the West Wing, the New York Times reported.