2009 U.S. state dinner security breaches
On November 24, 2009, Michaele (/mɪˈkɛl/) and Tareq Salahi (/ˈtɑːrɛk sɑːˈlɑːhi/), a married couple from Virginia, and Carlos Allen (from the District of Columbia), attended a White House state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as uninvited guests.
They were able to pass through two security checkpoints (including one requiring positive photo identification), enter the White House complex, and meet President Barack Obama.
[6][7][8] Sky News reported: "The Salahis hope to build a public profile in the US after appearing in the filming for the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Washington, D.C., though their contribution was never aired.
Tim Burke, director of the gatecrashing reality show MTV Blaggers!, said that Tareq Salahi contacted him about a week before the White House incident for advice on tricking one's way into a black-tie event.
[12] Michaele Salahi spent seven hours in the Erwin Gomez Salon in Georgetown to prepare for the state dinner, accompanied by a film crew from The Real Housewives.
[13] Michaele was recorded on film saying that she had conferred with White House social secretary Desirée Rogers as to whether wearing this attire would be appropriate, and that "they thought the sari was a great idea.
[16] Michaele Salahi also wore expensive David Yurman jewelry to the event; reportedly, a Washington-area store lent her the bracelets and rings, in total worth $30,000, and needed three attempts to retrieve them.
"[26] The Washington Post also quoted an anonymous official as having said that "the Salahis were allowed inside in violation of agency policies by an officer outside the front gate who apparently was persuaded by the couple's manner and insistence as well as the pressure of keeping lines moving on a rainy evening.
[30]Roberts's suspicions were apparently not acted upon; according to media reports, "the first the White House security detail knew of their blunder in allowing the Salahis into Tuesday's event was when the couple posted photographs from the dinner on their Facebook page.
[37] Following this, Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and chairman of the Committee, defeated Republican efforts to subpoena White House social secretary Desirée Rogers and to hold the Secret Service officially responsible for the Salahis' unauthorized entry.
[41][42][43] Despite this invocation of the Fifth Amendment, Tareq Salahi had informed the Las Vegas Sun that he and his wife "want the story of The White House cover-up about their invitation to be told.
[47][48][49][50] Politico reported that the subpoena does not mention the Salahis, but "says that the grand jury is investigating a possible violation of 18 USC 1001, a federal statute that covers lying to a government official.
Sullivan's statement also pointed out that "the preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list.
"[32] Newsweek magazine further reported, "The White House staff member whose job was to supervise the guest list for state dinners and clear invitees into the events says she was stripped of most of her responsibilities earlier this year, prompting her to resign last June.
[60] In a televised interview on the CBS program 60 Minutes that aired December 13, 2009, President Obama termed the gatecrash a "screw-up", expressed anger that it had taken place, and vowed that such incidents would not occur again.
[69] Within a week of the incident, Tareq Salahi resigned from the Virginia Tourism Board at the request of Governor Tim Kaine, an Obama ally, and other state officials.
[77] By the end of June 2010, according to the Washington Post's ombudsman, the paper had extended its coverage of the couple to a new total of 110 articles by more than thirty reporters and contributors, ascribing its readers' interest to "the unique audaciousness and astonishing self-absorption of the Salahis.
"[41] Ellis Henican, a columnist for Newsday, called the Salahis "low-class, high-gloss wannabes", and said the matter amounted to "a new low" for reality television and the depths people will resort to for fame.
"[95] Political satirist Dave Barry included the following mention of the incident in his summary of major "lowlights" of 2009: ... a Washington couple, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, penetrate heavy security and enter the White House, a feat that Joe Biden has yet to manage.
As details of the incident emerge, an embarrassed Secret Service is forced to admit that not only did the couple crash a state dinner, but they also met and shook hands with the president, and they "may have served briefly in the Cabinet.
