White House

White House clinic improperly distributed controlled substances during previous administrations, new report says

The investigation by the Pentagon's internal watchdog was prompted by complaints during the Trump administration

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The White House Medical Unit had โ€œsevere and systemic problemsโ€ with its pharmacy operations and provided health care to ineligible staffers before the Biden administration, according to a scathing report by the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General.

The multiyear investigation was prompted in 2018 by complaints alleging that a senior military medical officer in the White House clinic had โ€œengaged in improper medical practices.โ€ The probe included on-site visits and focused on a three-year period during the Trump administration, as well as employee interviews dating to 2009.

"The White House Medical Unit dispensed prescription medications, including controlled substances, to ineligible White House staff," said the report, which was released this month.

The unit also kept records for Schedule II drugs โ€” such as fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone โ€” in the same inventory that housed records for other medications, according to the report, even though federal regulations require them to be kept separate.

The clinicโ€™s handwritten records from the Trump administration โ€œfrequently contained errors in the medication counts, illegible text, or crossed out text that was not appropriately annotated,โ€ the report said.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.

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