CNN News Central’s Wednesday morning coverage of the cocaine found at the White House over the weekend was short, but telling of their opinion of the matter. After anchor John Berman discussed selective aspects of the matter with White House correspondent Priscilla Alvarez, anchors Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan joked about the matter and made light of it, saying that it’s not “too soon” for them to poke fun about it.
The segment began with Berman breaking the news of the lab confirmation that the white powdery substance discovered in the White House was, in fact, cocaine. He was quick to note, however, that President Biden was not present at the White House when it had been discovered, seeming to dismiss any relation between Biden and his family and the cocaine.
He then brought on Alvarez, who entered the discussion by questioning on “how it entered the White House to begin with.” She emphasized that it had been discovered “in the West Wing, in a common area,” thus seeming to imply that it may have been brought in by a guest:
Now where it was found was in the West Wing, in a common area, not an individual office, and also an area where private group—led tours pass through. We also know the substance was found near where the guests are asked to leave their cell phones before proceeding into the West Wing.
Alvarez then described the Secret Service investigation of the cocaine to discover “how this got into the White House, and who brought it in.”
Considering that Hunter Biden, a known and self-acknowledged drug addict, had recently spent time at the White House before these drugs had been found, it seemed like it shouldn’t be too difficult to speculate where they may have come from. Something like this likely would have been their first guess if Donald Trump was still president.
Berman and Alvarez then discussed how all guests to the White House must go through full security to enter the building, and they wondered how someone would be able to get the cocaine inside if they had to go through all this security. They considered the question of “how this came to be” to be “intriguing,” and expressed their hope that the Secret Service would come up with the answer soon enough.
The three anchors ended the segment, which they had conveniently put off until the very end of the show, by joking about this very serious matter. Sidner said that she “would like to know, blow-by-blow, who was responsible for this,” making a joke on the cocaine.
When she and Bolduan laughed at this joke, Berman declared it to be “too soon” to say such things. Bolduan responded by claiming that “there is no ‘too soon’ on this.” She argued that since “no one was injured” and “it’s an illicit drug at the White House,” then one must be able to “have a little bit of fun with it.”
This was no laughing matter. Illicit drugs were discovered at the White House itself, and there was already talk about the culprit getting away with it.
Real funny, guys.
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Transcript of the segment below (click Expand):
CNN News Central
7/5/23
11:53:10 AM ET
JOHN BERMAN: Alright, we do have some breaking news. Lab tests just back on the powdery substance found in the White House over the weekend have come back positive for cocaine. This substance was found and briefly forced an evacuation there. Preliminary test said it was cocaine, now these other lab tests have come back.
Now, we should note that President Biden was at Camp David as this first unfolded over the weekend. He returned to Washington Tuesday morning.
Let's go to the White House. CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez is there. This does raise a whole lot of questions about how the substance got there, Priscilla.
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ: It certainly does, and one of the big questions here is how it entered the White House to begin with. Now, as you mentioned, the—they—a person familiar is now confirming to our Kevin Liptak that the lab tests have shown it is positive for cocaine. Sources had previously told CNN that field tests in the moment had determined that it was possibly cocaine. We now know that that is the case.
Now where it was found was in the West Wing, in a common area, not an individual office, and also an area where private group—led tours pass through. We also know the substance was found near where the guests are asked to leave their cell phones before proceeding into the West Wing.
Now of course this did prompt that brief evacuation on Sunday evening, and ca—they called in Washington D.C. Fire Department, which deployed their hazmat suits to try to determine what this was. And now, since Sunday we are learning that it is, indeed, cocaine.
Now, again, this is part of an ongoing investigation. We're trying to get more from the Secret Service as to, again, how this got into the White House, and who brought it in.
All of those questions still lingering. But at the very least, those lab tests are now in. John?
BERMAN: An investigation being led by the Secret Service, Priscilla. And we should note, I mean, clearly they know everyone who goes into that building. It is a known quantity.
ALVAREZ: That's right. I come in and out of this building on a regular basis, and you do have to pass, just like you would at the airport, through—through security. And so the question now is going to be how this—how this came to be. And Secret Service is the one who's going to be fielding those questions.
BERMAN: Alright. It is intriguing. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for latest on that.
It was suspected, the field test said cocaine. Now these more conclusive lab tests. Yeah.
SARA SIDNER: I would like to know, blow-by-blow, who was responsible for this.
[LAUGHTER]
KATE BOLDUAN: That’s actually—
BERMAN: Too soon.
BOLDUAN: There is no “too soon” on this.
BERMAN: No too soon?
BOLDUAN: No one was injured, as far as we know…
SIDNER: Thank you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: And it's an illicit drug at the White House. Why can't you actually have a little bit of fun with it?
BERMAN: I don't believe in fun.
BOLDUAN: No, he doesn’t.
Thank you so much for joining us, everyone. This is CNN News Central. Inside Politics is up next.
