Couple crashes state dinner at White House

Let’s hope the Obama administration is better at national security than State Dinner security. At a recent State dinner, a Virginia couple was able to crash the party, then have several photos taken with celebrities and administration officials. During the Bush administration, a member of the White House social office was usually at the initial check point to prevent unwanted guests from attending, but the Obama administration does not take such precautions.

The couple, Tareq Salahi and Michaele Salahi of Virginia obviously meant no harm. They were likely looking for a fun night out and some publicity for their attempt to be on the TV show “The Real Housewives of D.C..” Despite this, it does raise concerns. What if someone with bad intentions had crashed the party? As one security expert said:

“While the couple did pass through a magnetometer to detect weapons, they could have assassinated the president or vice president using other means — anthrax, for example. The additional security checks referred to by the Secret Service spokesman screen for such items as radiological contamination but would not detect secreted biological weapons.”

As for the Salahi’s, here is a link to one of Michaele Salahi’s Facebook pages, along with some pictures of the special evening. Again, these pictures show the unfettered access the couple received, and should lead to some major changes in security.

Tareq Salahi, Joe Biden, and Michaele Salahi pose for pictures at a recent State dinner

Michaele Slahi with marines

Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel with Michaele Salahi and Tareq Salahi

CBS anchor Katie Couric and Michaele Salahi

California Congressman Ed Royce with Michaele Salahi

Vice President Joe Biden and Michaele Salahi