A major gathering of conservative political activists where multiple Republican presidential candidates spoke was interrupted Friday after an apparent threat was made against the conference.
Following GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington, D.C., organizers asked that attendees evacuate the main ballroom.
“We have received a threat about the safety of this event in this room,” Ralph Reed, head of the Faith and Freedom Conference, announced.
Attendees moved to a nearby room while Washington, D.C., police swept the ballroom. Authorities said the threat is contained to the room and will not impact the rest of the hotel that is hosting the event.
Former New York governor and 2016 candidate George Pataki had to address the crowd in a separate room. Earlier in the day Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal and John Kasich also spoke in the room that was evacuated.
-- NBC's Jordan Frasier contributed to this report
