Off the List, But Somehow on the South Lawn (Security Breach at Obama White House)

The Washington Post ^ | Thursday, November 26, 2009 | Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts

[kristinn]

Tareq and Michaele Salahi

SNIP

"Honored to be at the White House for the state dinner in honor of India with President Obama and our First Lady!" one of them wrote on their joint Facebook page at 9:08 p.m.

SNIP

While the White House offered no official explanation, it appears to be the first time in modern history that anyone has crashed a White House state dinner. The uninvited guests were in the same room as President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, although it is unknown whether they met the Obamas and the guest of honor.

SNIP

Donovan said a preliminary internal investigation Wednesday identified "a Secret Service checkpoint which did not follow proper procedure to ensure these two individuals were on the invited guest list." He declined to give further details. An administration official said the White House will conduct its own review.

SNIP

Later, they posted pictures that seem to chart their course through the night: Michaele posing with Marines outside near the White House doors, and with Katie Couric and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) inside the mansion. In the East Room, the Salahis both cozied up to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and his wife, Michelle.

But the best was yet to come: Once inside the dinner tent, they got pictures that appeared to show them with ABC's Robin Roberts, Bollywood composer AR Rahman, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Obama Chief of Staff Emanuel (identified as "Ron" in the couple's Facebook photo caption) and two with a grinning vice president. The photos end there -- no shots of the Salahis sitting at a table, their seatmates or the post-dinner entertainment.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Interesting stuff.

[Gondring]

He’s a Physician and practiced in Saudi Arabia...an honorable profession and an ally. What questions could there be?

[mojito]

Surprise, surprise, if it isn’t another protocol and security fiasco concocted by the 0 White House.

These people have betrayed themselves as pathetic amateurs. And the terrorists have taken note.

[Elsie]

We are at war with terrorists who conduct lone wolf suicide attacks. Obama's security team allows a potentially catastrophic breach at a state visit honoring India around the one year anniversary of the Mumbai attacks.

 

 

This is a test.

 

If it had been a REAL emergency, you would have been instructed to tune to...

[Elsie]

I haven't been able to find out where he was born.

Presidential material!

[Elsie]