Washington: The man who got into a White House dinner without an invitation denied that he and his wife were gatecrashers.
Appearing on a nationally broadcast morning news show with his wife, Michaele, Tareq Salahi said the furor surrounding their attendance at the state dinner for the visiting Indian Prime Minister has been the “most devastating” experience.
Salahi said in the interview on a TV show that there was more to the story — an explanation that would exonerate the couple from allegations of misconduct in the breach of White House security. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, appearing on the same program, stood by the administration’s position that the Salahis were gatecrashers. “This wasn’t a misunderstanding,” Gibbs said. “You don’t show up at the White House as a misunderstanding.”
For his part, Salahi said he and his wife were cooperating with the Secret Service in its investigation of the incident a week ago. And he said they both have “great respect” for President Barack Obama. “We’re greatly saddened by all the circumstances ... portraying my wife and I as party crashers. I can tell you we did not party-crash the White House.”
Earlier Tuesday, Gibbs said that Obama and his wife, Michelle, were both angered by the incursion. Interviewed on MSNBC, Gibbs said “It’s safe to say he was angry. Michelle was angry.”
Gibbs noted that the Secret Service is investigating what went wrong and said the White House was also re-examining its procedures. He told the network, “I think the president really had the same reaction the Secret Service had, and that was great concern for how something like this happened.”
Pentagon official emailed White House party crashers
The couple who crashed the Obama administration’s first state dinner communicated with a senior Pentagon official about going to the event, but the official denies that she helped the couple get in. Michele Jones, a special assistant to defense secretary Robert Gates, said in a statement that she never said or implied she would get Michaele and Tareq Salahi into the dinner.
The White House issued Jones’ statement after questions were raised about communications between the administration and the couple prior to the dinner. A friend of the couple said the Salahis interpreted their email exchange with Jones as permission to attend the party.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, December 02, 2009, 10:16