Earnest also said US President Barack Obama had been in the White House during the time of the evacuation, but the briefing area had been the only room in the White House complex that was evacuated, Sputnik reported.
"Shortly before 2:00 today (7:00 p.m. GMT) a telephonic bomb threat concerning the room that we are all in was called into the Metropolitan Police Department. Local police department contacted Secret Service officials who determined that for the safety of all of us they needed to evacuate the room and to sweep it."