The police report, which describes the incident as an ‘illegal entry’, does not say whether the man entered the home, which is located in an upscale northwest Washington neighborhood about five miles from the White House. . Singh told police the man “illegally entered the front yard” of his property and did not know him, the report said.
The incident came days after the national security official became a public face of the Biden administration’s sanctions against Russia, which escalated in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Singh joined White House press secretary Jen Psaki before the cameras in the briefing room to explain the administration’s increasingly tough stance toward Moscow on Feb. 22-24.
There was no immediate evidence of a connection between Singh’s work in the administration and the alleged incident. Singh was not home at the time, according to a person familiar with the incident who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details.
“No one in law enforcement told the owners it had anything to do with their job,” the person said. “As far as we know, it could just be a neighborhood creep that was on their lawn.”
But some officials have raised concerns internally about the incident, especially since it happened so soon after Singh became such a prominent figure in the US sanctions rollout, according to a government official familiar with the internal deliberations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
The White House declined to comment, as did a Secret Service spokesperson, who was involved in the investigation.
The DC police report says the incident happened at 1:08 p.m. on February 26 and ended at 1:18 p.m. Officers at the scene soon after told a neighbor they were “investigating a possible break-in”, according to two neighbors. Neighbors said some people living in nearby homes were later approached by Secret Service agents looking for security camera footage.
The DC Police investigation and search for the fugitive man appears to have stalled. On March 8, according to the DC police report, investigators temporarily suspended their investigation due to a lack of leads on likely suspects.
Singh was not a well-known White House official until recent weeks. Before joining the White House, he worked as head of the markets team at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Treasury Department during the Obama administration.
“Because of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s choices, his blatant violation of international law and his utter disregard for the principles that underpin world peace and security, we will now ensure that his decision is remembered as a strategic failure.” Singh said during his public appearance on February 24.
Peter Hermann and Alice Crites contributed to this report.
