White House press room evacuated over bomb threat
| WASHINGTON
The聽White聽House聽briefing room was briefly evacuated Tuesday after a聽bomb聽threat聽was called into police, the Secret Service said.
Secret Service officers responsible for presidential security interrupted a live, televised press briefing with聽White聽House聽press secretary Josh Earnest and evacuated the James S. Brady Briefing Room shortly after 2 p.m.
Roughly 20 minutes after being evacuated, journalists were allowed back into the聽White聽House. Uniformed Secret Service officers on the scene said an all-clear had been issued.
In a statement, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said a "telephonic聽bomb聽threat聽concerning the聽White聽House聽Briefing Room was called into the Metropolitan Police Department."
As a precaution, he said, the聽White聽House聽Press Briefing Room was evacuated. The evacuation was limited to the聽White聽House聽Press Briefing Room and did not affect any other sections of the聽White聽House.
About 15 minutes after the evacuation, Earnest wrote on Twitter that the briefing would resume shortly after the briefing room was cleared. "Hopefully won't be long," he wrote.
Although parts of the聽White聽House聽have been evacuated before, including after a fence-jumper made it inside the聽White聽House聽last year, this was the first time that an evacuation occurred during a televised press briefing.
Many television networks have permanent cameras installed in the briefing room. Journalists from some of those networks said that following the evacuation, the cameras were pointed up to the ceiling so that the briefing room was no longer visible.
