Presidential Party Crashers Highlight Security Breach

In a major White House security breach, two publicity seekers slipped passed the Secret Service checkpoint Wednesday and wined and dined with President Obama and his guests at the president’s first state dinner.


This screen image made from Michaele Salahi's Facebook page shows a photo of, Tareq Salahi, left, Vice President Joe Biden and Michaele Salahi, right, at the White House state dinner in Washington on Tuesday Nov. 24, 2009. The Secret Service is looking into its own security procedures after determining that a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, managed to slip into Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said. Michaele Salahi and her husband were not on the White House guest list for the posh event, the Obamas’ biggest bash since taking over the presidential mansion, but they managed to get in. The Salahis have not officially responded to any press, except via facebook to say "it was a last minute attending." The first time they'll talk about he incident will be this Monday, when they're guest on Larry King Live.

The dinner honoring Indian prime Minister Manmohan Singh had over 300 guest in attendance and included such luminaries as visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Joe Biden, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and television news anchor Katie Couric, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and more.

Michaele Salahi, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, is reportedly in the running for a slot with the reality show “Real Housewives of Washington, D.C.” The couple was described in a report by the Post as “polo-playing socialites from northern Virginia.”

Secret Service spokesman Edwin M. Donovan acknowledged that the checkpoint “did not follow proper procedures” in reviewing the guest list, but he insisted that the president and the scores of celebrity guests were never in jeopardy.

"It is important to note that these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of security, as did all guests attending the dinner,” Donovan said in a statement. “The Secret Service has tasked our Office of Professional Responsibility with conducting a comprehensive review of the incident.”


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