Talk about a security lapse!
A couple from Northern Virginia appear to have crashed the White House’s state dinner last night, penetrating layers of security with no invitation.
While the White House hasn’t provided an explanation, it is believed that this is the first time in recent history that anyone has crashed a White House state dinner.
Where are “Wedding Crashers” Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn when you need them! I’m sure they could give some tips on how this happened!
From the Washington Post:
Tareq and Michaele Salahi – polo-playing socialites known for a bitter family feud over a Fauquier County winery and their possible roles in the forthcoming “The Real Housewives of Washington” — were seen arriving at the White House and later posted on Facebook what appeared to be photos of themselves with VIPs at the elite gathering.
“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.
But a White House official said the couple was not invited to the dinner, not included on the official guest list, and were never seated at a table in the South Lawn tent.
A woman describing herself as a publicist for the Salahis denied that they were interlopers. Pressed for details, Mahogany Jones sent a statement saying simply: “The Salahis were honored to be a part of such a prestigious event ….. They both had a wonderful time.”
How could it happen? A former White House senior staffer — who more than a decade ago encountered a crasher at one of the executive mansion’s less-fancy parties — offered this theory:
A savvy pair of crashers, dressed to the nines, might arrive on foot at the Visitor’s Entrance, announce their names — then express shock and concern when the security detail at the gate failed to find them on the guest list. On a rainy night like Tuesday, with a crowd of 300-plus arriving, security might have lost track of or granted a modicum of sympathy to a pair that certainly looked like they belonged there. If their IDs didn’t send up any red flags in the screening process, they would be sent through the magnetometers and into the White House.
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