Washington | A small amount of a white powdery substance was found in the White House on Sunday evening (Monday AEST), according to a person familiar with the situation, and an initial test by emergency response workers determined that it was cocaine.

President Joe Biden and his family were away at Camp David when a uniformed Secret Service agent found the substance during a patrol of the West Wing about 6pm on Sunday, the person said, prompting a brief shutdown of some of the White House campus as response workers assessed whether the substance was hazardous.