Secret Service Agents Who Let Party Crashers In Put On Leave

Photograph of White House social secretary Desiree Rogers (left) and uninvited guests Michaele and Tareq Salahi from the AP

The director of the Secret Service told Congress, "I take responsibility" for the fame-seeking, aspiring reality TV show couple that managed to get into the Obamas' first State Dinner without an invitation. Director Mark Sullivan added, "Pure and simple, this is a human error,. We could have had the best technology. ... But that still would not have prevented this from happening."

The agents that allowed Michaele and Tareq Salahi into the event were put on leave. However, there's criticism that White House social secretary Desiree Rogers should have had a staffer at the entrance, to help the Secret Service check and make sure only invited guests were allowed entrance. The Post notes that Rogers was "named as an invited guest rather than a staffer" at the event—President Ford's social secretary Maria Downs said, "I never sat down at a state dinner because I was always too busy taking care of what needed to be taken care of. You are there all through the dinner, mingling with the guests, taking care of their needs, but you weren't a guest."

The White House "invoked separation of powers" to prevent Rogers from testifying in front of Congress about the snafu. But deputy chief of staff Jim Messina admitted, "After reviewing our actions, it is clear that the White House did not do everything we could have done to assist the United States Secret Service in ensuring that only invited guests enter the complex. White House staff were walking back and forth outside between the check points helping guests and were available to the Secret Service throughout the evening, but clearly we can do more, and we will do more."

The Salahis had insisted they were invited to the dinner, but e-mails between them and a Pentagon aide who was trying to help them gain access (but ultimately told them they weren't invited) show they arrived at the dinner "to just check in, in case it got approved since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list!"

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By Jen Chung in News on December 3, 2009 3:32 PM

Comments [rss]

angry_pickle

Seems to me that Obama's people believe the Presidency is all fun and games. Being fastidious is no longer fashionable. This fiasco being an example; another huge example being AG Eric Holder's.

S.D.

Riiiiigggggghhhhtttt....

It's *NOT* the Secret Service that f___ed up, but Obama's People...

Uh-Huh...

NannyState

The new Secret Service Fame-Whore Squad begins extensive training in January.

faprilano

why won't this story just go away already. let them all hang, the gate people/social secretary, all the above, the gate crashers for being gosh and brazen media hounds (gross)and furthermore - what does this have to do with NYC anyhow. enough already.

Potty Boy

If Rogers was named as a "guest" by the Administration, which is the Administration's prerogative, and not as a "staffer", then there should be no criticism or aspersions cast toward Rogers as to her attending as a guest. By the same token though, since she attended in a private capacity, Congress should be entitled to question her in her capacity as an attendee witness, and the Administration should not be allowed to invoke Separation.

If the Pres had knowingly called her a "guest", then the choice is his to make, along with all of its ramifications, including potentially endangering himself as there is 1 fewer competent person to vet the guests.

zodak

just as i don't blame an animal that eats food left out in the open, i blame the person who left the food out.

i don't blame the gate crashers, i blame the so-called security people who failed at their jobs.

ProcedureTurn

thats one way to see it.

Using your logic, do you also feel that girls who wear provocative clothing are to blame for being raped too?

SeasTooFarToReach

Don't mix tomatoes with potatoes.

Three agents actually checked a guest list for the Salahis' names and, not finding them there, still allowed the couple to proceed to the next checkpoint inside the White House complex.

If their names were not on the list, they should had not been allowed to enter. Period. These are not regular folks having a bbq on their backyard. It's a matter of national, if not global, security. No excuses are valid here.