White House Press Room Evacuated during Briefing

The White House press room was briefly evacuated and a Secret Service sniffer dog deployed Tuesday delaying a scheduled briefing.

Journalists, including an AFP reporter, were escorted out as a security sweep was performed.

Outside the executive mansion, the north lawn area was also evacuated as staff and journalists were moved to a neighboring building.

No reason was given for the evacuation, and the reporters were allowed to return to the Brady Briefing Room after the all-clear was given.

Live television footage of the briefing was not immediately halted, and viewers could see a dog handler inspecting the rows of seats.

Later, the camera shots were obscured by material being placed over the lenses.

Earlier, part of a Senate office building on Capitol Hill had also been also evacuated due to a telephoned bomb threat.

Police with dogs investigated a suspicious package but no threat was found and the all-clear was given.

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