Should The "White House Crashers" Be Prosecuted?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

[elleng]

1. TOO SILLY!

'Prosecuted' for crashing a party????

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. A Lot Of People Are Saying Yes

And technically they were trespassing.

[SoCalDem]

3. Not just ANY party.. a White House party given by a president

who has had an unprecedented number of threats made on his and his family's lives.

Whether the threats are serious or not, all one has to do is watch any "teabagger meeting" or a Palin rally, to see the types of people who are out there"..

The people were reported to be "not-political", and for that we can be thankful..but what IF they had just been Palin-ites out to cause a ruckus or to embarrass the president on his debut party-night?

The secret service needs a BIG SHAKE-UP..

These people need to be made example of.. Remember, Martha Stewart did 6 months for "lying to the feds"..not for the "crime"..

These people did worse, because they were NOT on the list, and only got in by lying and trespassing

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. I Don't Think A Teabagger Has The Grace Or Intelligence To Pull Something Like That Off

It would be like the Clampetts trying to attend.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. I Don't Think A Teabagger Has The Grace Or Intelligence To Pull Something Like That Off

It would be like the Clampetts trying to attend.

[Maru Kitteh]

43. Don't kid yourself. I know it's comforting to believe they're all rubes

But you grant yourself a mistaken sense of security.

[elleng]

37. I didn't think they lied, just followed the crowd.

[me b zola]

56. No, they had to lie to get in

This is what the preliminary reporting is stating.

[elleng]

59. Will see what the later reporting says.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/us/politics/27party.html?hp

[me b zola]

61. I've read the article

I don't see any explanation as to how they got in that refutes initial reports that they lied to get in. If I've missed something, please point it out to me.

[elleng]

64. As I said, I'd like to wait for later reporting.

Will point it out if I see it.

[bailylib]

92. Forget the labels this was a crime

This was a crime plain and simple.
It doesn't matter what party they are from or if it was a stunt. It respect for the office and the security of our President and visiting dignitaries. I did not vote for President Obama. But his and other lives are in danger when security is breached. As for not having weapons. There are a million weapons in the room. It was a dinner, knives are at every place setting. They could have smuggled in poison. It is naive to believe it was just a party and a social faux paux. They need to serve jail time. It doesn't matter if you are republican or democrat there are issues we should be united on and security is one of them.

[Celebration]

96. But isn't security now better

Because of the incident? I would hope so.

Welcome to DU.

[baldguy]

14. Depending on how they got in...

Trespassing on federal govt property
Lying to the Secret Service
maybe possessing false IDs

just to start

[harkadog]

33. Were there "No Trespassing " signs posted?

If not, good luck with that. I have been by the WH many many times and never saw any such signs.

[baldguy]

39. OK, you go take a stroll around the Rose Garden.

When they tackle you & point several high powered weapons at your head, tell them "Well, there weren't any signs saying No Trespassing."

:rofl:

[harkadog]

41. You have apparently never been to the WH

But that doesn't stop you from embarrassing yourself by your demonstration of ignorance. There is a gate for public entrance to the WH. If you have a valid reason to be there the secret service will ask for that and your i.d. You just aren't able to walk in. That is what stops you from he WH grounds not signs or because you aren't allowed to "trespass" there. There was a failure by the SS in this case and that is their fault not the couple's.

[baldguy]

44. I never claimed there were any signs - or even that there should be.

YOU DID.

And I have visited several federal govt buildings - including the WH. If a visitor is in an area they're not supposed to be, and if security needs to hang something on them the first thing is going to be "trespassing" no matter what the signage did or did not say.

[harkadog]

50. Yes there would have to be signs in order to make a charge stick.

Trespass is a very specific property crime and just because someone doesn't like you to be somewhere is meaningless in court.

[baldguy]

51. So if I come upon a person's house and it DOESN'T have a "No Trespassing" sign, I can just walk in?

All that's needed for a trespassing charge is to have the property's owner deny permission for you to be there. The law doesn't require that you have a sign, patrol the property or even lock your door.

[harkadog]

71. That denial of permission has to be known.

Yes you can walk on anyone's property that doesn't have signs saying not too. If they tell you to leave then you are trespassing if you don't leave. In the case of the WH that is the job of the SS. The couple at the WH walked through no closed doors. The video proves that.

[baldguy]

74. You must be living in a different country. You see, in America it's exactly the opposite.

You can't walk on anyone's property at any time without their permission. Depending on local laws, doing that is libel to get you shot at.

And at the WH (and many other fed govt buildings), even if a door is open they'd probably have a guard stationed there to control access. If the gate crashers did anything to bypass, or distract, or con the guard into letting them through then IT IS trespassing. And no, there don't have to be any signs posted.

[harkadog]

84. I guess my law school profs didn't know their subject.

There are many law schools in the U.S. that could use your knowledge. Consider appplying to teach a property course.

[Supply Side Jesus]

81. A fenced in area is enough

If you shouldn't be on the other side of the clearly marked off area, you are trespassing. The fence clearly indicates the area to be blocked off and off limits to the public.

Good try though.

[harkadog]

85. Fail

If the SS let's you through that is permission. The couple didn't jump the fence. Nice try.

[me b zola]

57. You are an idiot

[harkadog]

72. Brilliant comment

But in court you would fail if that is your only argument.

[spanone]

35. state dinner vs. party? i think it's beyond crashing a party.

[mamaleah]

45. They didn't crash your brothers bar mitzvah. They crashed a WH function.

President Obama is quite possibly the most at risk president we have ever had due to the amount of crazies in this country. Security should be tight and those who get around it should be prosecuted.

[Whisp]

77. yes. it wasn't just any party in case you didn't know.

fucking stupid people here....

[spanone]

80. it's a hell of a lot more serious than 'crashing a party'. if reality stars can get in...

so can terrorists

[Ichingcarpenter]

6. Someone in the secret service should be fired

I really don't know much about the details over here
they could have been real nutcases.

[jtrockville]

70. +1: Crashing a party is a faux pas. It's not criminal.

Violations of social rules have social consequences.
However, the breach of security allowed by the secret service should be looked into and addressed immediately.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. This is a serious breach

given the fact there are so many radical nuts running around threatening our president.

Someone should have to answer for this.

[avaistheone1]

32. The Secret Service should answer for it. It is there duty to secure the areas near the president.

They understand how something like this could go wrong if the couple were terrorists on meant harm to the president. The Secret Service were not on alert. They failed.

The couple were not trying to harm anyone, they were trying to pull off a stupid stunt. No harm, no foul. But of course they should never try something like this again. They should be given a stern warning, and they should stay the hell away from the president.

[elleng]

36. I agree with you.

and the general public should be warned against such. I suspect that the secret service people 'involved' are feeling this.

[Tippy]

8. Someone dropped the ball...

We need to know who and why...

[timtom]

9. No.

But "Security" needs a closer scrutiny.

[Octafish]

10. They should be thanked.

They exposed serious security "problems" in protecting President Obama and his family.

Nothing new, when it comes to Democratic leaders.

[lonestarnot]

17. You said it Fish! Never forget!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xEK16kLHsM

[meow2u3]

21. That's the only silver lining in this proverbial cloud

I heard on the Today show that the White House social organizers were to blame. Next time, they should check their ID and/or fingerprints.

[Swamp Rat]

54. exactly

:hi:

[me b zola]

58. Octafish,this strikes me as a threat to the President

...Not by the people who crashed the State Dinner, they were stooges, but whomever allowed this breech of security to occur. I believe that someone is sending a message to President Obama that they are in control of his security.

[Festivito]

65. Yes, thanked, and then invite a poor person to the next one.

The SS needs to be more concerned with their training on reading body language. It was people in our country legally that flew planes into our buildings. Let's not get our panties in a twist over people who do not present a threat only to find ourselves not looking how we need to watch, yet again.

[BanzaiBonnie]

11. Not yes, but hell yes

And whoever let them pass needs to be fired. I'm usually forgiving of such things, but this is not funny. Way too serious with all the nutjob threats on the president's life.

[ipaint]

12. We let torturers and bank fraudsters at the top go free.

Why not this couple, they have money and connections too.

[high density]

13. just charter a plane to gitmo and forget about 'em. NM

[blueamy66]

15. Michaele should be prosecuted

for that hairstyle she wore at her wedding.

Ugh.

[Sebastian Doyle]

16. Clearly this was a bullshit stunt meant to promote some crappy non-reality show

Like the whole balloon boy fiasco, except this show actually exists. I guess breaking the law is no longer off limits for those desperate to be famous for doing nothing. Prosecute them to the fullest extent of the applicable laws, if for no other reason than to stop dumb ass publicity stunts like this from the next untalented non-celebrity who wants to try it.

[sendero]

24. Yes..

... except this stunt cost nobody anything. If anything, they did the WH a favor, they showed them how lax "security" is.

There is no analogy to be made here. No LE was mobilized, no bogus claim made. Dust off your brain.

[meow2u3]

18. Who knows if a corporate thug would be sprinkling anthrax all over their clothes and/or purses?

Only to sicken the President and/or Vice-President? :scared:

Since teabag terrorists are notorious copycats, I wouldn't put it past one or more of them to try the same sneaky thing to attempt a bio- or chemoterrorist attack on the President. :scared:

[slackmaster]

19. What's the penalty for trespassing in DC?

I'll bet it's not even a misdemeanor.

[arcadian]

23. The Whitehouse is public property.

[cherokeeprogressive]

34. That, and the party was funded with taxpayer dollars.

We should have all been invited.

[Supply Side Jesus]

82. So is a prison

but you just don't let anyone inside who isn't a convict.

Nice Try though.

[ecstatic]

20. Was the Bravo network there too?

Anyway, I'm sick of those fake "wealthy" housewives and their stunts.

[FarLeftFist]

22. There's got to be more to this story....

I think the couple mistakenly thought they were invited. The couple probably spent hours getting ready, got all dressed up, and arrived by limo. Now any sane person would say to themselves 'If we get busted we're going straight to jail', the risk of getting caught breaching WH security will not be worth the punishment. Then posted photo's to their facebook page saying things like "I'm so happy we were invited to the state dinner at the WH, we had a great time". There's more to this story than we know so far. Also, they were announced over the P.A. when they made their entrance and of course were scanned for weapons and metal detectors, all cleared.

[dems_rightnow]

25. How does one....

... think they got invited to the White House? I'd think it a meaningful enough thing to remember.

[musicblind]

47. I agree. They're publicist also told CNN they had full clearance to be there.

It seems like there is some kind of gross misunderstanding in the works. And they didn't "crash" a party. Crashing a party is where you come in all drunk, make a huge scene, knock over a lamp, and literally ruin the party for everyone else. All they did was attend with a dubious invitation.

[Poiuyt]

26. I think a dangerous precedent would be established if they are not prosecuted

These "aspiring reality show stars" will keep trying more and more outlandish stunts in their attempt to be noticed. This should be nipped before anyone gets hurt.

I'm guessing that other world leaders aren't thinking too much about the way they are protected here after last night. White House security is nothing to laugh at.

[hayu_lol]

27. They could have been Pakistani agents after the Indian PM and

his wife. The two countries really do hate each other.

[shadesofgray]

40. +!. The SS did NOT do their job. It scares me to think how many other times they haven't done it.

[Quantess]

28. No, of course not.

The WH security obviously needs work, though.

[951-Riverside]

29. but they won't be because its a publicity stunt for a TV show

...Bravo's Real Housewives of D.C to be exact. Bravo is the parent company of NBC which President Obama loves doing promotions for. He did a promo for Conan O'Brien and Brian Willions and allowed NBC's reality show 'Biggest Loser' shoot a scene in the White House kitchen.

They didn't crash the White House because they were invited, their names were announced publicly as they entered and even before they entered the white house grounds they had a camera crew them.

I really wish the President and other White House officials wouldn't insult our intelligence over this non-sense. BTW, NBC and everyone else involved in this stunt owes the hard working men and women at the Secret Service an apology.

White House officials crossed the line when they flew Air Force One low over NY but this takes the cake.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. No. I'd like to say "non-issue" but didn't have that chance.

[HughMoran]

31. Punished

Whatever that entails.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

38. Yes

I keep hearing that they had no weapons so it was alright. A very strong person can snap a man's neck with their bare hands. I am sure there were objects at the white house that could have been used as weapons if they got their hands on them. The possibility for mischief are way to numerous to let this go with a slap on the wrist.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

42. No. A silly prank blown way out of proportion.

[proteus_lives]

46. Yep. They broke the law.

[harkadog]

73. What law?

[musicblind]

48. No. This seems to be a large misunderstanding

given they posted photos on Facebook, spent hours getting ready, hired a limo, and they're publicist claimed they had full clearance to attend when questioned by CNN.

[mamaleah]

53. Misunderstanding? Like they thought they should be invited so they went anyway?

They have a publicist because they are reality tv wannabes.

[musicblind]

66. No as in they though they WERE invited not that they merely should be

Which looks like that MAY have been the case. It also may not have been the case, but their publicist says that they did not crash the party, that they had full clearance to attend the event, and that they look forward to setting the record straight.

Now everyone jumping to conclusions may be 100% right. Maybe they knew they weren't invited and just thought it would be a fun way to make a name for themselves. But I would at least like to hear all sides of the issue before making assumptions. You know what they say about the word assume.

And, in closing, just because they want to be on reality TV does not mean they are subhuman or automatically liars, although I know it seems makes some people feel good to think that way. That is human nature, everyone needs to have select groups of people who they feel they are superior to. And as for the reason why they have a publicist, they may have one because they own a wine estate, and are prominent socialites in their area.

[nini]

49. I take the security of ANY president seriously

As much as I couldn't stand Reagan it upset me when he was shot because of he was the president. No fucking psycho has the right to take away who was put into place by the people. Maybe having lived through JFK's assassination is part of my views on this.

Those idiots need to spend some time in prison - no mercy.

[dems_rightnow]

67. I'd prefer...

... to know whether they broke any laws, and which ones, before I sent them to prison without mercy. We don't know what happened.

[Celebration]

97. the irony, though is,

that this stunt made the likelihood of a future event like that LESS likely, by exposing the security weaknesses.

[Bucky]

52. I only wish it'd been Borat

[Hippo_Tron]

55. I will answer your question with another question

Did they break any laws?

[Ichingcarpenter]

60. White House crashers named in 16 civil suits

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The Virginia couple accused of crashing President Obama's first White House state dinner on Tuesday are named in at least 16 different civil suits in Fauquier County, sometimes as plaintiffs, sometimes as defendants.

A trawl through court records on Thursday revealed a more complete picture of Tareq and Michaele Salahi, who have left an extensive paper trail in federal bankruptcy and state court filings.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/26/dinner.whitehous...

[tuvor]

62. Why would someone unrec a poll?

Was this particular one overly biased or something?

K/R

[populistdriven]

63. they are owed a debt of gratitude

[Fumesucker]

68. I agree, they exposed a security flaw..

A flaw that could have been exploited by someone who wished to do the President harm.

[DainBramaged]

69. Should the White House crashers be forced to eat at Olive Garden

drink soda, and generaly do peon stuff for a few months for daring to crash such a social event........:eyes:

[Sheltiemama]

75. If it will keep them from getting on a reality show, yes.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

89. My thoughts exactly.

Wonder what the next stupid stunt will be from some reality show wannabees.

[Whisp]

76. yes they should.

kick their stupid asses in jail for a while to cool their wanna be famous for 15 minutes jets.

fucking idiots.
this is way more serious than the balloon boy non story.

[bridgit]

78. Naw, leave'em alone they're just happy, smiley, star struck kids with a great dental plan, now...

If balloon boy's parents had 'crashed a party' oh boy - charges could have been included I suppose but they were already off doing whatever it is happy, smiley, star struck kids do with their spare time :thumbsup: So leave party crashers alone! :mad:

[varelse]

79. Yes

[hijinx87]

83. for God's sake, folks

of course they should be prosecuted. they gained unauthorized access to the president of the united states.

as many freaks as there are out there that want to hurt the first african american to ever become president, two things need to happen. (a) a front to back examination of how it happened, and (b) prosecution of the perpetrators, to the fullest extent of the law.

(although I think any legal infraction is probably minimal)

[Lars39]

86. And unauthorized access to the president of India.

And all those "next in line" for the US presidency, too.

[treestar]

95. As long as there is a statute that provides for this

Then they ought to be prosecuted.

[TexasObserver]

87. When Dick Turk was the King of this sort of think, it was pretty damned funny.

It's security's job to provide security.

Fool me once ... ya can't get fooled again.

[libodem]

88. It was a Democratic function

of course they don't deserve the same respect and dignity offered to a Republican function. Heads the Republicans win and tails the Republicans win. If the Crashers are prosecuted it will be "I thought everything was fine with the freethinking Liberals, they don't judge anyone, why should they care?" If we do prosecute then we are heavy handed, can't take a joke, meanies.

Swear to God if they let these Freaks walk, or give them a slap on the wrist, one of Guano Bleck's demented fans will be in the next receiving line with a plastic zip gun in President Obama's ribs.

That stunt was so disrespectful and so rude and so thoughtless. I hope both of them go to jail and lose everything they own in the process. Then I hope they have huge fine and court costs. Then I hope they have to be on monitored probation or parole for 5 years.

I don't think this is cute or funny. I think it is damaging to the image of the President and every thing it stands for. And I get mad that people don't do that type of thing to a Republican President. Why the difference? Isn't my brand of President just as important as the Republican brand?

Why should crap like that be allowed to happen to my peeps? Is there anyone here who doesn't think the Crashers would be in jail as we speak if they had tried to pull this on Bush? Anyone who thinks for a minute the breech of security would have happened under Bush? OK, I'm done.

[bailylib]

93. Not a party issue

This is not a party issue. It is a security issue and would have been just as wrong if it had happened to Bush. I did not vote for Obama, but I believe in the presidency and our election process. He is our President now and should be protected. We should be united on security issues and this is an issue I feel strongly about. These people should be prosecuted and made an example of. Otherwise you open the door for more "security crashers" seeking fame and even harm to the President and possibly other world leaders who were attending the event believing that they were in the safest country in the world.
Let's believe in America first and Party's second.
Thanks.

[Celebration]

100. well--I agree we need great security for ANY President

And I am very grateful for this incident, in that it exposes the weaknesses that we need to correct.

[Bjorn Against]

90. At this point I have to say no...

If evidence comes out that they lied to the Secret Service then they could be prosecuted, but at this point I haven't seen any evidence that they lied so there is no evidence of a crime. This is a huge embarrassment for the Secret Service and they will have a lot of explaining to do, but unless they told these people to leave the property then they can not get them on trespassing.

[Nye Bevan]

91. They did us all a huge favor

Harmless couple gatecrashes a White House party, and now the security will be tightened up to such an extent that nothing like this can ever happen again. I would rather this happen as the result of reality TV wannabees as opposed to terrorists. And as a bonus we get rid of a few totally incompetent Secret Service agents. The Secret Service will be (rightfully) smarting over this one for years to come, and will be extremely cautious in the future to prevent this kind of incident.

If the crashers *are* prosecuted the penalty should be very minor. Any kind of heavy-handed treatment would look like payback for embarrassing the Secret Service, which is the real party at fault here.

[Celebration]

98. exactly

We don't need to shift the blame off onto the party crashers. Let's go to the real crime--not protecting the President.

We are always going to have freaks around who do stuff like this, just like we are always going to have people who load themselves up with too much debt. Blaming the party crashers for a lapse in security is like blaming home buyers for the mortgage meltdown.

[treestar]

94. Only if the law provides for it

They can't have been guilty of trespass, because they were allowed in. Party crashing wouldn't be a crime.

I'd focus on whoever let them in when they weren't on the list. That's the breach of security that is worrisome.

[Blue_Tires]

99. they should, but i don't think they will

their attorney/PR flak (and some DUers) are already shaping up the meme for the court of public opinion that being allowed in under whatever pretenses and not being ejected equals implied consent from security, along with "it was JUST a party!" and "they didn't fight/hurt anyone or steal anything!"

the funny thing is a decade ago i stood up in a class in grad school talking about the cult of instant celebrity, of people desperate to get their 15 minutes at all costs, people famous for being famous, and how reality TV was going to be one of our cultural downfalls...oh how wrong i wish i was in retrospect....