Lawyer: Couple didn't 'crash' state dinner-filmed by producers of "The Real Housewives of D.C."

[The Straight Story]

Lawyer: Couple didn't 'crash' state dinner


WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A Virginia couple who apparently intruded at a White House state dinner did not "crash" the event, their lawyer said through a publicist Thursday.

A publicist for Tareq and Michaele Salahi, described as aspiring reality TV stars, issued a statement to The New York Times saying the couple's lawyer, Paul Gardner, "states emphatically that the Salahis' did not 'crash' this event."

"We look forward to setting the record straight very soon," the statement said.

However, a White House official told the newspaper the couple were not invited.

The Times reported Thursday the couple's foray into the state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday was filmed by a crew working for producers of "The Real Housewives of D.C."

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said Wednesday an investigation into how the couple managed to get into the event initially focused on "a Secret Service checkpoint that did not follow proper procedures." However, he said no one at the dinner "was under any risk or threat."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/11/26/Lawyer-Couple-didnt-crash-state-dinner/UPI-18481259281108/

[vadawg]

1. bullshit "he said no one at the dinner "was under any risk or threat""

if someone is in a secure area that hasnt been vetted then there is always a risk, guy is BSing and he thinks people will buy it..

[yodoobo]

2. 20/20 hindsight

This is like driving down the highway at 100mph without crashing or getting a ticket.

Then saying "there was no risk" because nothing happened.

Somebody messed up and messed up bad.

[vadawg]

3. yup, there will be some major changes made here, now whether it was human or procedure error

will be interesting, though we will probuably never know.

[SoCalDem]

5. Um.. White House security is not up to "them"

they "lied" to feds by showing up at at INVITED GUESTS ONLY event at the WHITE HOUSE, during a STATE DINNER.

"Pranks" & photo-op stunts have NO place when the security of the president, his family and their guests are concerned..

Security is NOT up to the occasional wannabee who decides it would be "totally cool" to crash a presidential event..

I hope they are ALL charged and given the Martha Stewart style of sentence.

Heads should also roll at the Secret Service.. They have been playing fast and loose with security for a while now, and eventually it will catch up with them..only it's Obama who will pay the price:grrr:

[vadawg]

6. WTF are you talking about, i quote the secret service saying there was no danger

i call bullshit on it, not sure what you are getting at with your post.... :shrug: probuably they will get misdemeanours for trespassing, we are not even sure if they falsely id'd themselves to a fed yet....

lol i hate when posts get edited when you are writing your replies,

[SoCalDem]

7. of course they would say there was no danger

it's called CYA..

We'll probably hear more about this in the weeks to come.. Guess we'll have to see what shakes out.. and of course Larry King has them on his "show" soon, so their 15 minutes of fame is going to be extended..:puke:

Wonder if they're related to the BalloonBoy family:)

[vadawg]

8. yup its CYA, but from experience i would have a conniption if someone entered my secure area

and they had not been vetted, these two are well known around NOVA for pulling shit, if i remember for years there has been crap happening over the vinyards in the family as well.

[MichaelHarris]

4. Just goes to show you

a pretty, tall, leggy blond can get in anywhere.

[Catherine Vincent]

9. Yes

I think we all know why they got in. She definitely had the preferred look.

[vadawg]

10. actually the skuttlebutt around here is that it was their names that helped

not sure of the veracity of this yet, but there is talk that it was presumed they were guests or part of the indian delegation due to their names "Tareq and Michaele Salahi" will be interesting to see what comes of it...

[FarCenter]

14. Plus, he is a Republican lobbyist -- how many times was he at the Bush White House?

[DeschutesRiver]

16. Scuttlebut from some of my horse forums

says the he owns a limo business and that she is an ex-cheerleader.

I don't know squat about their corner of the horse world, but in my former corner, we had people like this show up all the time. X makes some good money in a business, wants to be one of the really rich socialite people and thinks purchasing his way in alone will do it.

Buys his and his wife's way way into Y horse sport. Use their cash and as much debt as possible to keep business and horse sport going. The sport promptly takes their dough and sucks them dry and tosses them to the curb, until the next bait comes along. People like this came and went and were treated with false respect until their money ran low. Rinse, and repeat.

I don't know if this is what these two are about, but the idea that they were socialites and way up the food chain in this particular horse sport was being chuckled at by the posters. They didn't say these two didn't have money, but the implication was that they didn't have the position that is being floated out there as real movers and shakers. Which is probably true because they are willing to be on a reality tv show, like the other cities in the Housewives series.

[no_hypocrisy]

11. Either you're invited (invitation) or you're not. If the latter, you've crashed an event.

Back in the Sixties, Tricia Nixon wanted to give a tea party at the WH for members of her college class. Ironically, Grace Slick was part of that group and an invitation inadvertently went out to her. Grace opted to accept and brought a guest, Abbie Hoffman. Their plan was Grace would hide tabs of acid in her nails and spike the punch once inside. However, despite having a valid invitation, Grace and Abbie were denied entrance into the WH. And that was security 40 years ago.

In this situation, these people just walked in, without an invitation, nobody challenged them, and it's irrelevent about their motivations and their lack of risk to the President. Security should be paramount.

[marmar]

12. "Real Housewives of DC?"......This shit has to stop.

America is already dangerously low on useful brain cells.

[spanone]

13. i'm tired of these fucking 'aspiring reality tv 'stars???' these fuckers are not stars..wannabes

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

15. their publicist said that their lawyer said that the couple said

they didn't crash the party.

they sure are "layered-up."

[Firstzar]

17. They should be jailed.....

...simply for being involved in "reality" TV!

[devilgrrl]

18. I bet this whole story is a HOAX.

I wouldn't be surprised if they were invited all along and the media turned it into something it wasn't.

Balloon Boy Crashes White House Dinner! Story at 11!

What a crock...