White House Blocks Testimony on Party Crashers

New York Times ^ | December 3, 2009 | SHERYL GAY STOLBERG AND JANIE LORBER

[libstripper]

The White House on Wednesday invoked the separation of powers to keep Desiree Rogers, President Obama’s social secretary, from testifying on Capitol Hill about how a couple of aspiring reality television show celebrities crashed a state dinner for the prime minister of India last week.

And the couple will not testify, either, according to a statement released late Wednesday by a public relations firm.

[libstripper]

IMHO those two really weren't "party crashers." Instead they were deliberately allowed into the party, probably ove SS objections and the SS is now being made to take the fall.

[shankbear]

But this is the most open and transparent administration ever. What a steaming pile of yak dookie.

[Psalm 144]

But this is the most open and transparent administration ever. What a steaming pile of yak dookie.

---

Eloquent and true. To this I would also like to add that Michelle is butt ugly, and Barack is a swish.

[Red Badger]

Hmmmmmm.....methinks there is rotten in the State of Denmark................

[doberville]

Is it me - or is the WH overreacting to having Desiree Rogers’ activities looked into?

[Servant of the Cross]

there is rotten in the State of Denmark................

Yea, verily. Hey LIC* (or is it his "lady"): Thou doth protest too much.

* Liar In Chief

[browniexyz]

Desiree Rogers with her Harvard MBA couldn’t stand “just” being the Social Secretary at the party and had to sit down and be an invited guest instead of a staffer. She didn’t do her job, so the SS couldn’t do theirs properly either.

[stayathomemom]

If a Republican administration were to do this, the media would be unrelenting in bashing it for it’s secretiveness.

[Alberta's Child]

I haven't thought it all the way through, but my initial reaction is that I have no problem with this move by the White House.

If employees of the Executive Branch are incompetent to the point that they present a safety risk to the nation's chief executive, then so be it. I don't see why Congress should have any concern over this that would be so important so as to override the separation of powers of the two branches of the Federal government.

[libstripper]

Hmmmmmm.....methinks there is rotten in the State of Denmark................

They're all such pieces of degraded haman debris that we know this involves someting dirty and deliberate, just not what.

[Irenic]

mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmm

[WaterBoard]

The NY Times demanded that Bush White House staff testify before Congress (Scouter Libby) yet feels it’s perfectly acceptable for Obama’s White House staff is off limits.

[Lion Den Dan]

Hmmmmmm.....methinks there is rotten in the State of Denmark................

Or is it something in the wood pile?

[FrankR]

WHAT??

This administration hiding something...unbelievable!

/sarc

[Neverforget01]

If this were a Republican White House, this would be an international crisis as the PM of India's life was at risk.

Something tells me the WH knew this duo all along!

[Jaxter]

If this scandal doesn’t have a name yet I’d like to vote for: Wideopengate.

[Izzy Dunne]

Instead they were deliberately allowed into the party

I read yesterday that the WashPost notified the WH at 7:30 PM that there were crashers there, WH did zip.

[MozarkDawg]

The White House on Wednesday invoked the separation of powers to keep Desiree Rogers, President Obama’s social secretary, from testifying on Capitol Hill ...

You have GOT to be kidding me, it was a FREAKIN' PARTY! Invoking separation of powers to keep a WH aide from testifying about a security breach??

What is the president hiding and when did he know he was hiding it?

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I agree with you.

[Pecos]

In the past, Executive Privilege has been invoked in the case of persons who have been involved in national security or legislative policy discussions and decisions. This administration seems to be saying that the White House Social Secretary is in that category. This may explain a number of the decisions made by this administration.