HYGO News KJP Repeatedly Dodges Questions on Secret Service Investigation, Can't Say If Biden Is 'Satisfied'
KJP Repeatedly Dodges Questions on Secret Service Investigation, Can’t Say If Biden Is “Satisfied”
On July 17, 2023, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a barrage of questions from reporters about the Secret Service’s closed investigation into cocaine found inside the White House. The Secret Service had concluded its probe the previous Thursday without identifying a suspect, without conducting any interviews, and without any arrests. Jean-Pierre repeatedly deflected questions about whether President Biden was satisfied with the outcome, refused to describe his reaction upon learning the investigation had ended without a suspect, and invoked the phrase “thorough investigation” multiple times despite the investigation’s failure to produce any results. The briefing also touched on the Julie Su confirmation effort and the administration’s position on the Hollywood strikes.
”Is the President Satisfied?”
The opening salvo came from a reporter who asked the central question directly: “Is the president satisfied with the explanation that someone was able to bring an illegal substance into the White House because there are hundreds of people who come here?”
It was a pointed question because the Secret Service’s own explanation for closing the case without a suspect was essentially that too many people had access to the area where the cocaine was found. The reporter was asking Biden’s press secretary to defend the idea that the White House — the most surveilled building in the world — could not determine who brought an illegal drug into its premises.
Jean-Pierre’s response was a textbook deflection: “What I will say is that the Secret Service did a thorough investigation. That’s what we believe. They put out a public statement. I think that’s important. Anything else detailing any details or any more information, I would reach out to the Secret Service.”
The answer was notable for what it did not say. Jean-Pierre did not say whether Biden was satisfied. She did not say whether the White House found the outcome acceptable. She simply asserted that the investigation was “thorough” and redirected all further questions to the Secret Service.
Biden’s Reaction: “I’m Just Not Going to Opine”
A second reporter pressed Jean-Pierre on Biden’s personal reaction to the investigation’s inconclusive ending. The question referenced Jean-Pierre’s own earlier statements that “it was very important to President Biden that the Secret Service get to the bottom of who brought it into the White House.”
The reporter asked: “Can you just talk about his reaction when he learned that the investigation did not end with a suspect?”
Jean-Pierre shut the question down immediately: “No, and I appreciate the question. I’m just not going to opine on this, not going to get into specific on this.”
She then repeated her mantra: “We believe the Secret Service did a thorough investigation. We’ve been briefed of the outcome. They shared the detail in a public statement, which I think is important for the American people to hear directly from the Secret Service who did the investigation.”
The refusal to describe Biden’s reaction was striking. If Biden had been angry or disappointed about the lack of a suspect, saying so would have demonstrated accountability. If he was satisfied with the outcome, saying so would have closed the loop. Jean-Pierre’s refusal to characterize any reaction at all left the impression that the White House did not want to draw further attention to the scandal.
”Hundreds of People Come Through This Area”
Jean-Pierre repeatedly cited the Secret Service’s explanation that the area where the cocaine was found was heavily trafficked: “One of the things that they said in the public statement is hundreds of people come through this particular area. So it’s a heavily traveled working area. That’s what they were able to find doing this thorough investigation.”
She expanded on the timeline: “Especially during that weekend, we think about Friday, that Saturday, and that Sunday, and also that, I believe that Monday, that weekend, I should just say, that it was heavily traveled.”
The explanation raised more questions than it answered. The White House has extensive security protocols, surveillance cameras, and visitor logs. The suggestion that “hundreds of people” passing through an area made it impossible to identify who left a bag of cocaine strained credulity for many observers. Critics noted that the Secret Service is capable of identifying threats to the President in crowds of thousands but apparently could not determine who left an illegal substance in the West Wing.
Reporter Challenges the “Thorough” Characterization
A third reporter noted that the White House had initially expressed “confidence that the Secret Service would get to the bottom of this” and asked the follow-up: “Are you surprised that they didn’t?”
Jean-Pierre maintained the line: “Of course, we’re going to have confidence that they’re going to do their jobs and do everything that they can to get to the bottom of this. Of course, that is something that we have confidence. We will always have confidence in that.”
The circular reasoning was apparent. Jean-Pierre was expressing confidence in the investigation’s thoroughness while simultaneously acknowledging that the investigation had failed to achieve its stated objective of identifying who brought the cocaine into the White House. Having “confidence” in an investigation that produced no results was a contradiction the reporter was highlighting, but Jean-Pierre declined to engage with the logical problem.
She concluded: “But as you’ve just stated, we’ve been briefed on the outcome. And in their public statement, as well as the Secret Service have said, there is hundreds of visitors that traveled through this area where the cocaine was found across that weekend. And so I’m going to leave it to them for any additional information, but certainly not going to opine on the process here.”
Julie Su Confirmation and Hollywood Strikes
The briefing also touched on two other topics. A reporter asked about the status of Julie Su’s nomination to be Secretary of Labor, which had been stalled in the Senate. Jean-Pierre said the White House was “actively working very hard to get her confirmed” and that “we believe she is qualified to be the Secretary of Department of Labor.”
On the Hollywood strikes — involving both the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild — a reporter asked if the administration planned to get directly involved. Jean-Pierre demurred: “Look, I don’t have any more to share of what I just laid out. Look, we believe, and the President knows that collective bargaining works.”
The brief treatment of these topics underscored the degree to which the cocaine scandal dominated the briefing. In a press conference covering a failed White House security investigation, a stalled cabinet nomination, and dual Hollywood strikes, Jean-Pierre devoted the vast majority of her answers to saying she would not answer questions about the cocaine probe.
Key Takeaways
- Jean-Pierre refused to say whether President Biden was “satisfied” with the Secret Service’s cocaine investigation, which closed without identifying a suspect, conducting interviews, or making any arrests.
- When asked about Biden’s reaction to the inconclusive investigation, Jean-Pierre said “I’m just not going to opine on this,” despite having previously said it was “very important” to Biden that the investigation get to the bottom of the matter.
- Jean-Pierre used the phrase “thorough investigation” multiple times to describe a probe that failed to identify who brought an illegal substance into the most heavily surveilled building in the world.
- The Secret Service’s stated explanation was that “hundreds of people come through this particular area” over the weekend in question, which critics said strained credibility given the White House’s security apparatus.
- The briefing also covered the stalled Julie Su Labor Secretary confirmation and the administration’s position on the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes.
Full Transcript
The following is transcribed from the video audio:
The president satisfied with the explanation that someone was able to bring an illegal substance into the White House because there are hundreds of people who come here. What I will say is that the Secret Service did a thorough investigation. That’s what we believe. They put out a public statement. I think that’s important. Anything else detailing any details or any more information, I would reach out to the Secret Service. Thank you.
You said that it was very important to President Biden that the Secret Service get to the bottom of who brought it into the White House. Can you just talk about his reaction when he learned that the investigation did not end with a suspect? No, and I appreciate the question. I’m just not going to opine on this, not going to get into specific on this. We believe the Secret Service did a thorough investigation. We’ve been briefed of the outcome. They shared the detail in a public statement, which I think is important for the American people to hear directly from the Secret Service who did the investigation. Look, one of the things that they said in the public statement is hundreds of people come through this particular area. So it’s a heavily traveled working area. That’s what they were able to find doing this thorough investigation. Especially during that weekend, we think about Friday, that Saturday, and that Sunday, and also that, I believe that Monday, that weekend, I should just say, that it was heavily traveled.
In a statement Thursday, who was Olivia, who said that you guys have been briefed on the investigation, you were reviewing it. So what conclusions have you drawn from it? Do you expect Secret Service to make any changes to security protocols as a result? And lastly, you had initially expressed confidence that the Secret Service would get to the bottom of this. Are you surprised that they didn’t? So look, we believe that Secret Service did a thorough investigation. Certainly not going to opine on the investigation. Of course, we’re going to have confidence that they’re going to do their jobs and do everything that they can to get to the bottom of this. Of course, that is something that we have confidence. We will always have confidence in that. But as you’ve just stated, we’ve been briefed on the outcome. And in their public statement, as well as the Secret Service have said, there is hundreds of visitors that traveled through this area where the cocaine was found across that weekend. And so I’m going to leave it to them for any additional information, but certainly not going to opine on the process here. But we believe it was a thorough investigation. Thank you.
I wanted to ask about Julie Su again. Is the White House still actively having what you call those war room meetings with different officials to try and get her confirmed? So what I can say is we’re actively working very hard to get her confirmed. We believe she is qualified to be the Secretary of Department of Labor. And so that is our commitment and the President’s commitment.
I wanted to ask you about the two strikes in Hollywood. Is the White House or another representative of this administration going to get directly involved in that? Look, I don’t have any more to share of what I just laid out. Look, we believe, and the President knows that collective bargaining works.