It may seem like the ultimate prank – to crash President Obama’s first state dinner. But, Tareq and Michaele Salahi are in trouble – a lot of trouble.
No doubt others are in trouble as well. Tuesday, the Salahis attended the dinner in honor of the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh. Only problem is 320 people were invited to the bash, but the Salahis weren’t among them.
They hobnobbed with the elite – Vice President Joe Biden, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, and Slumdog Millionaire composer Ar Rahman. Heck, they even met President Obama and First Lady Michele in the receiving line. However, since they were not on the invitation list and thus didn’t appear on the seating chart, the Salahis left before dinner.
But, in this day and age of top security, one has to question how this uninvited couple got into such an exclusive event. Actually, that is the big question – how the couple slipped past Marine guards, Secret Service, and White House staff – armed with the guest list. Who’s to blame for this breach of security? Edwin M. Donovan, a Secret Service special agent, said that a Secret Service checkpoint “did not follow proper procedures.”
Some believe that the couple had been planning to crash the dinner for months, stating that Michaele had posted on Facebook about trying to get close to the Obamas.
The Salahis have seen their share of court time lately. Tareq took his mother to court over the family’s Oasis Winery. He eventually took control of the winery in 2007, but filed for bankruptcy this year. The couple also saw time in court when defendant Robb Levin held his wedding at the Oasis Winery, but accused the Salahis of overcharging him for services. He won the suit in June 2008, but has yet to see any of the $15,000 awarded him. All in all, there are 16 different civil suits in the Fauquier County courts with the Salahis name on them, some with them as defendants and some with them as plaintiffs. They could be facing potential felony charges for the state dinner crash.
Right now, the couple’s lawyer, Paul W. Gardner, has said “My clients were cleared, by the White House, to be there. More information is forthcoming.” I have no doubt that the couple is just clambering to sell their story to the highest bidder.
The Salahis, who insist they were cleared to attend the event, may give their version of the story Monday night when they appear on “Larry King Live.”
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