Anthrax found at off-site White House mail screening site

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Tests have confirmed the presence of anthrax at an off-site mail screening facility for the White House, presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday.

Fleischer said the facility is at a military installation miles from the White House, and "has been closed for further testing and decontamination."

He added that all environmental tests at the White House itself have thus far come back negative.

Fleischer said that all employees at the site were being tested for exposure to the disease, as were mail workers in the White House complex itself.

At a hastily arranged briefing, Fleischer said the presence of anthrax had been confirmed earlier in the day, and President Bush had been informed.

"The White House has high confidence in light of the security precautions in place," the spokesman said.