The headquarters for the Republican National Committee were cleared Wednesday after a suspicious device was found nearby, committee communications director Michael Ahrens told CNN.
The headquarters are just a few blocks from the US Capitol. The evacuation happened roughly an hour ago, Ahrens said.
An RNC official told CNN that a pipe bomb was found on the ground outside, along the wall of the headquarters. The device was safely detonated by the police, the RNC official said.
The Democratic National Committee was also evacuated on Wednesday after a suspicious package was being investigated nearby, a Democratic source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
The party preemptively closed the building ahead of the protests, the source said, but a few security and essential personnel were evacuated.