Obama To Hold First Press Conference in 8 Months

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday is expected to be grilled about negotiations to avert a looming "fiscal cliff" and the scandal that brought down CIA director David Petraeus when he holds his first news conference since winning a second term.

Obama will have little time to savor his decisive Nov. 6 victory over Republican Mitt Romney as he takes questions from the White House press corps for the first time in months in an encounter in the ornate East Room, starting at 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT).

The White House had hoped to use the news conference to mobilize public support for Obama's economic agenda in the face of a showdown with congressional Republicans over an economy-shaking package of tax increases and deep spending cuts set to kick in at year-end unless a deal is reached.

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