Trump staffers were given controlled substances by White House medical unit, report claims

The White House Medical Unit (WHMU) dispensed controlled substances to ineligible staffers and had “severe and systemic problems” under the Trump administration, according to a new report from the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General.

The report is based on 70 interviews with staffers employed between 2009 and 2018, as well as prescription records from 2017 to 2019. During those two years, the WHMU “dispensed prescription medications, including controlled substances, to ineligible White House staff,” according to the report.

These problems stemmed from “the unit’s reliance on ineffective internal controls to ensure compliance with pharmacy safety standards.”

“The White House Medical Unit dispensed non‑emergency controlled medications, such as Ambien and Provigil, without verifying the patient’s identity,” the report reads. “The White House Medical Unit also left over‑the‑counter medications in open bins for patient retrieval and use.”

White House Medical Unit officials said they kept pharmaceutical records for only two years, according to the report, meaning investigators only had access to records 2017 to 2019.

The report also concluded the WHMU “routinely requested brand‑name drugs rather than generic equivalents when ordering controlled substances from Walter Reed.”

“For example, over a 3‑year period, the White House Medical Unit spent an estimated $46,500 for brand name Ambien, which is 174 times more expensive than the generic equivalent,” the report reads.

The Office of the Inspector General made several recommendations in the report, including developing “a pharmaceutical oversight plan“ for the WHMU. The Department of Defense concurred with all recommendations listed in the report, according to