Advertisement |
WWBT-TV, Richmond, Va., first reported the theft of the van from where it was parked at the Virginia Center Commons Courtyard Marriott near Richmond, the Los Angeles Times reported. The vehicle contained a teleprompter, $200,000 in audio equipment and the presidential seals that are placed on Obama's podium.
The equipment was awaiting the arrival of the president, who is on a three-day tour of North Carolina and Virginia touting his jobs program, now stalled on Capitol Hill.
The vehicle was recovered Monday at a Holiday Inn Express near the Richmond airport, the Times said, but it was unknown whether the equipment was still inside it.
A spokeswoman for the Defense Information Systems Agency, which helps with White House communications, said Tuesday: "A government vehicle was stolen and has been recovered. No classified or sensitive information was in the vehicle. We take incidents such as this very seriously, and a formal investigation is continuing in coordination with relevant law enforcement agencies."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said he could not confirm the reports.