WASHINGTON (CNN) - Secret Service officers were scurrying to close the North Lawn of the White House Wednesday afternoon because of a suspicious package and it appeared that trouble was brewing.
But it turned out that nothing more was brewing than an innocent little box of, yes, tea bags.
The security alert started around 2 p.m. ET, when an unidentified person tossed the box over the gate of the White House and it landed on President Obama's lawn with a thud.
Journalists were quickly banned from moving outside of the press briefing room, and hundreds of protesters gathered for a "Tax Day Tea Party" were quickly shooed out of Lafayette Park as a security robot inspected the package closely.
After about a half hour of high alert, a Secret Service official told CNN the "suspicious package" was merely some tea bags. So the threat was over, and so was the anti-Obama protest.
Updated: 5:05 p.m.
From CNN Politics
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Absolutely repulsive, that Americans would do such a thing.
Shame on rascism, shame on the G.O.P, shame on rascists and hate groups.
STAND WITH THE PRESIDENT.
OBAMA =D AND OBAMA 2012 =D
A majority of protesters are Republicans....they don't really know why they're out there, they were just told to do so. They just follow blindly, not really knowing were they're going or why.
These people are SO pathetic. Are they actually trying, poor souls, to protect the rich who should pay MORE taxes ? Delusional ...
The morons who put the box there cost the taxpayers a bundle. But what do Republicans care? Most of them hardly pay ANY taxes.
I mailed checks today to pay my federal and state taxes due! Now that's the patriotic thing to do and it makes me a great AMERICAN, Sean Hannity! The majority of the tea baggers are earned income credit folks pretending they have a problem with taxes. And the only folks making over $250.000 are those pundits that don't believe half of the garbage they spew over the airwaves! Come on people, please wake up!! Pres. Obama didn't steal this election....HE WON!!!
Obama/Biden 2012
@ Mark who said...
That's easily the dumbest statement so far. Any idiot knows that in a protest you don't throw a suspicious package towards the domicile of a world leader, doesn't matter who you are.
But it was okay for someone to throw shoes directly at the world leader? Talk about double standard.
@ Tulsa....
Ever hear of the "Fairness Doctrine" and the Dems who are fighting to bring it back?
What matters is that the majority of Democrat and Independent Americans see through these tea parties and know that it is hidden racism and hatred against the President and the Republicans will see the backlash from these tea parties. If these protests weren't racist than why weren't these people out protesting when George Bush was sending our AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS to the Iraqi people for YEARS and when Bush passed the 1st stimulus bill? All of a sudden after January 20th these Republicans (and some Libertarians) are now are against gov't spending? And did you see the rednecks that were at these 'tea parties'?
I agree with our President's tax and economic policies. It is necessary to right the wrongs that Bush and the Republicans created and to move America forward!
Susan Roesgen is a fool for saying the tea parties are "Anti-CNN"....the tea parties stand for smaller, less intrusive federal government and more individual liberties. why would those views be threatening to CNN?
good bye GoP ...
We've been laughing about this crap at work today ...
too funny ...
To 'Worried Mom' and the like:
No one is threatened by these 'tea parties' anymore than we were threatened by Sarah Palin. Don't you Republicans see that everyone you claim Democrats are threatened by, end up losing? Palin lost (she didn't rally the Independents and woman that they wanted in order to win the election) and these 'tea parties' will only galvanize the majority of the Democrats and the Independents against the radical Republicans we see on t.v today because we all know that it is an anti-Obama protest. America hates GOP negativity. Didn't you guys learn that from the last election???
All I got to say is where were these Tea Part nuts8 years ago. Seems to me that I am paying less in taxes..not sure what their beef is. FOX news should be ashamed for what they are stirring up. I have been watching their "fair and unbalanced" coverage most of the day. Can we say that the impartial journalist are almost giddy with excitement. Glenn Beck has a right to free speech, but what he is doing is creating a mass hysteria.
You Obamanites – if you thought Bush spent a lot of money on wars – STRAP on your seat belts – Obama will out spend Bush not just on wars!!!
At Robin:
Ever hear of how Obama and top dems have promised NOT to reintroduce the "fairness doctrine". Stop doing basic propaganda and do some basic research.
Anyone notice how news networks never show the crowd size at any of these protests? The only one that I noticed had to be at least 12 protesters, yet some media outlets made it sound like it's a huge national event!
We already had one Tea party, this one will be forgotten in history and it looks really foolish. Any level headed educated person know where this country needs to go and how we need to get there. We're not going to "socialism" or whatever you crackpots call it, we need new government, a government for the future and the majority of us trust President Obama to get us there.
@ Robin who typed: "But it was okay for someone to throw shoes directly at the world leader? Talk about double standard".
No, it wasn't ok, if you were to look at the news every once in a while the person who threw the shoes received jail time for it.....
REPUBLICANS ARE OUTRAGED! Why? For the first time in 8 years the money's not going in they're pockets.
Does anybody know what ideas the tea-baggers have to fix the economy? I thought not.
It would stand to reason the majority of the tea bag throwers are making over $250, 000 a year. If they weren't that would make the protesters those people who are getting a tax cut under Obama's tax plan. This tea party was stirred by the wealthy and they are sitting back watching all the middle class folk protest for them. Same old, same old. We just keep doing the work for the rich. That's why today I had an extra cup of coffee.
This is about protesting wasteful spebending and non-responsiveness from Washington. The only thing mentioned in the constitution twice is the right to redress which the people aren't being given.
what a laim party. I have had more people over at my house for a tea.
Anything thrown into the White House lawn, you can scramble the Secret Service.
I do agree that we never seen this during the Bush Administration... Oh we could not do that, we could have been picked up and placed in a CIA torture camps because we were never allowed to protest anything.
Well they have the wrong definition for the tea party,. The colonist protested taxes that was levied by a tyrannt King 3000 miles away. He kept the taxes and did not help the Colonist... Thus the Amercian Revolution. And why didn't we revolute Bush's Policies? Just answer that Question, since he spent and squandered the money that was a surplus from a liberal President.
Well go and buy some iced tea, hey it isn't taxed...
How funny! Like jimmy carter's attack-rabbit! Oooooo! Scary box of tea!
Can you imagine if that idiot had been shot dead on the spot!! The pathetic extremist right wing Republican dogs would have been calling for holy war! How low are the Republicans going to go or is there a bottom for them?
Here's what you get after decades of dumbing down the populace: tea bags. It's too soon to vote against your own interests, so protest the fact that the wealthiest few will soon have to pay a little more in taxes. Idiots.