White House Bomb Scare Forces Press Room Evacuation
WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) — The Secret Service evacuated the White House briefing room Tuesday hours after the Dirksen Senate Office Building was cleared on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for an alleged bomb threat.
The briefing room was emptied for an undisclosed security concern around 2 p.m. as Press Secretary Josh Earnest gave his daily briefing.
Reporters in the room were taken to the Old Executive Office Building while an officer walked a dog up and down the rows of chairs. Officials also covered some of the broadcast cameras in the room with T-shirts.
Earlier in the day, the Dirksen Senate Office Building was evacuated due to a bomb threat.
“The USCP received a phone call reporting a suspicious package in room SD-G40 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building [DSOB],” police said according to Roll Call. “Several floors in the DSOB have been evacuated as a precaution while the USCP continues to investigate.”
The second, third and fourth floors of the building were closed off. Capitol Police also responded to a similar “suspicious” bag in the Russell Senate Office Building courtyard, but it is not yet known if the incidents are related.
A hearing into the Transportation Security Administration was interrupted by the evacuation. An internal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security revealed June 2 that undercover agents managed to get weapons through airport security in 67 out of 70 tests.
