Nikki Haley during a town hall campaign event, in Ankeny, Iowa, on May 17 (AP)

Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and a presidential candidate for 2024, has accused the Secret Service of concealing the true origin of cocaine found in the White House, suggesting that the motive behind it is to protect Hunter Biden.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, Haley said she believed that either Hunter Biden or someone close to the President is being shielded through a cover-up orchestrated by the Secret Service.

The Secret Service discovered approximately one gram of cocaine in a storage locker at the executive entrance of the West Wing. Previous reports indicated that the locker was not under surveillance by cameras. However, Haley disputes this, highlighting that the location of the locker is in close proximity to the Situation Room and just one floor below the Oval Office.

Drawing from her experience as a former member of the National Security Council, she emphasized the high level of security in that area.

The Secret Service recently announced that they were unable to determine how the cocaine ended up in the West Wing and swiftly closed the 11-day investigation.

The agency stated that the drug lacked usable DNA or fingerprints. The White House has declined to address inquiries regarding whether the cocaine was linked to a member of the first family and dismissed such questions as "irresponsible". The Secret Service's failure to identify the source of the cocaine has fueled speculation, with Haley's comments adding to the controversy surrounding the incident.

A flashback

Earlier this month, a preliminary field test on a white substance discovered in the White House reportedly tested positive for cocaine, according to law enforcement officials, as the US Secret Service was investigating how it ended up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A first evaluation of the material by the Washington D.C. fire department revealed that it seemed to be cocaine rather than a threat.

This sparked a frenzy of theories in the US media about who could have left the cocaine in the White House, considering that the President and his family were away from the dwelling during the Fourth of July festivities.

US Secret Service Spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi stated that it was "just confirmed that substance found was cocaine and our investigation is ongoing."

The West Wing of the White House holds the Oval Office and other important facilities. The cocaine was allegedly found in a place where visitors partake in tours of the White House and in the location where they usually leave their phones behind for security reasons.

Where was the substance found?

Initial accounts revealed that the substance was discovered in a reference library. The Associated Press later reported, citing two sources who were not allowed to speak about the probe, that the white powder was discovered "in an area accessible to tour groups, not in any particular West Wing office."

"An investigation into the cause and manner" of the substance's entry into the White House is underway.

According to an official involved with the inquiry, the amount of the substance was minimal.

This would not be the first time that illegal substances made their way inside the White House. Snoop Dogg admitted to consuming marijuana in a restroom in 2013, and Willie Nelson admitted to smoking a joint on the White House roof during Jimmy Carter's presidency.

On a visit to the White House during first lady Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign, British actor Erkan Mustafa admitted to smoking marijuana and doing a line of cocaine. Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane said in 2011 that she attempted and failed to spike President Richard Nixon's tea with LSD in 1970.