Crashing the White House state dinner. A Hardball panel debates how the Secret Service failed to prevent two interlopers from attending a private event at the White House.
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(Politico, AP) Obama White House Liasion implicated via Sahalis' e-mails
A series of e-mails that connect the alleged White House party crashers to a Pentagon official suggest that Michaele and Tareq Salahi had more help in trying to access the dinner than was previously believed, according to a report from the Associated Press.
E-mails obtained by the wire service show that the Salahis and Michele Jones — a special assistant to the Secretary of Defense and a Pentagon-based White House liaison — communciated for four days as the Salahis tried to secure two spots to the event. Jones went as far as asking for the couple's Social Security numbers and other information that the Secret Service needs to clear visitors at the White House. An administration official told the AP that Jones's deputy sent the information to the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Earlier this week, when the Washington Post reported that the Salahis were in contact with Jones, she denied fault in a statement: "I specifically stated that they did not have tickets and in fact that I did not have the authority to authorize attendance, admittance or access to any part of the evening's activities. Even though I informed them of this, they still decided to come."
According to the AP, the days leading up to the event were full of e-mails about dinner. On the day before the dinner, Jones wrote the couple to say that an invite "doesn't seem likely."
Salahi sent an e-mail back to Jones listing the names of individuals that received invites to the dinner but couldn't be there, mentioning Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) by name to which Jones answered, "This will help also!"
On the morning of the dinner, Jones sent the couple another email saying, "I will call or e-mail as soon as I get word one way or another."
Later that day, the White House informed Jones that the couple could not attend the dinner, so she called the couple on their cell phone to alert them of the news.
The Salahis apparently went to the executive mansion without a formal invitation, in case they scored a last-minute invite. They told Jones that a dead cell-phone battery kept them from hearing a message she left on their voicemail alerting them that they had not in fact been invited to the coveted affair, the AP report said.
When they returned from the state dinner that evening, the Salahis wrote Jones an e-mail saying that they went to the White House that evening "just to check in, in case it got approved since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list!"
When the Salahis returned that evening they sent Jones a note saying they had "a wonderful evening."
Jones wrote the couple back saying, "You are most welcome. I hear the smile in your email. Am delighted you and Michaele had a wonderful time."
(AP, Charlotte Observer) E-mails from the White House "Party Crashers"
The Associated Press released these excerpts from e-mails between Tareq and Michaele Salahi and Michele Jones, special assistant to the defense secretary, as part of the couple's effort to obtain an invitation to the Obama administration's first state dinner last week.
Friday, Nov. 20, 4:15 p.m.
To the Salahis' attorney Paul Gardner from his office manager Rosalind Tyner.
Michele S. Jones just called regarding the state dinner at the White House for Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. I need the following information from Tareq and Michaele Salahi immediately so she can submit their information before 5 p.m. today. Full name, Social Security number, date of birth, citizenship.
Friday, Nov. 20, 4:33 p.m.
From Tareq Salahi to Rosalind Tyner, Paul Gardner
Hi Team THANK YOU!!! We are very much looking forward to it!
(Salahi sends Social Security number, date of birth and citizenship for himself and his wife)
Friday, Nov. 20, 4:49 p.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
Hopefully I can get tickets for the arrival ceremony … the state dinner is completely closed and has been for awhile. As soon as I know, I will contact you.
Monday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m.
From Tareq Salahi to Michele Jones
In preparations for tomorrow, do you know what time we would need to be there, and which entrance we should go through?
Monday, Nov. 23, 4:12 p.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
I am still hoping that I can get tickets for the arrival ceremony tomorrow. They do have your information in the event that extra tickets become available and will notify me immediately. I still haven't given up, but it doesn't seem likely.
Monday, Nov. 23, 4:51 p.m.
From Tareq Salahi to Michele Jones
By the way – I know for a fact that these persons are unable to attend the state dinner and the reception portion:
1.) Sen. Harry Reid and his wife (they have gone home early for Thanksgiving).
2.) Kuma Gupta and husband (unable to travel to D.C. tomorrow)
3.) Bob Stevens and his wife (top brass from Lockheed Martin)
Tuesday, Nov. 24, 8:46 a.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
The arrival ceremony (was scheduled to be outdoors) was canceled due to inclement weather. They are having a very small one inside the WH, very limited space. I am still working on tickets for tonight's dinner. I will call or e-mail as soon as I get word one way or another.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1:03 a.m.
From Michaele and Tareq Salahi to Michele Jones
Hi Michele,
You are an angel!
My cell phone battery died early this evening while we were in D.C. from our country home, so I just got your message now after driving back out. But obviously it worked out at the end. … We ended up going to the gate to check in at 6:30 p.m. to just check, in case it got approved, since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list! We are very grateful, and God bless you.
We just got home, and we had a very wonderful evening as you can imagine!
Look forward to seeing you very soon. Say when for dinner – we can't wait to see you and catch up and share memories of true lifetime.
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1:38 p.m.
From Michele Jones to Tareq Salahi
Tareq,
You are most welcome! I here the smile in your e-mail and am delighted that you and Michaele had a wonderful time. :-)
Have an extraordinary Thanksgiving and many blessings to you both!
Much love,
Michele
(AP, Yahoo News) Obama WH gate-crashers went without confirmed invitation; E-mails
Copies of e-mails between the White House party crashers and a Pentagon official undermine their claims that they were invited to President Barack Obama's first state dinner.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi pressed the friendly Pentagon aide for four days to score tickets to the big event. By their own admission in the e-mails, they showed up at the White House gates at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 without an invitation — "to just check in, in case it got approved since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list!"
But the Secret Service has said they weren't on that list and that it erred by letting them in anyway.
In an e-mail sent just hours after last week's dinner to Pentagon official Michele Jones, the Salahis claimed a dead cell phone battery prevented them from hearing Jones' voice mail earlier that day advising them they did not make the guest list.
A collection of e-mails between the Salahis and Jones was obtained Tuesday night by The Associated Press from a source who got them in a manner that confirmed their authenticity.
Last week's White House caper has captivated a capital where high-end social life and celebrity eruptions frequently enliven the day-to-day business of governing. Congress also is about to hold a hearing. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle are described as angry. And the Salahis asked a national television audience to take their word that the e-mail exchange would show that they were invited to the dinner for the visiting Indian prime minister.
Earlier Tuesday evening, the administration said it will make at least one change to its practices for invitation-only events: The White House social office will go back to making sure that one of its staff members will be present at the gates to help the Secret Service if questions come up, the first lady's communication director, Camille Johnston, said.
Johnston maintained that this has been an existing policy, but the White House and Secret Service have said no such person was present last week as guests arrived for the dinner. Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said the plan for the dinner did not call for a social office employee to be at the gate but agents didn't call the office to ask for assistance or clarification.
The e-mails between the Salahis and Jones show the couple contacted Jones, a special assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a Pentagon-based White House liaison, for help getting the invitation they so eagerly sought. Jones e-mailed that she would try to get them access to part of the state dinner and asked for their Social Security numbers and other data needed for clearance.
An administration official said Tuesday night that Jones had her deputy e-mail the Salahis' information to the White House Office of Public Engagement.
The day before the state dinner, Jones e-mailed Tareq Salahi that she was still trying, "but it doesn't seem likely." Salahi replied with a list of people he said were invited to the dinner but unable to make it, including Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and his wife. Jones replied, "This will help also!"
At 8:46 a.m. the day of the dinner, Jones wrote, "I will call or e-mail as soon as I get word one way or another."
According to the administration official, the White House told Jones the Salahis could not get into the dinner and Jones then left the Salahis a voice mail before the dinner saying they did not get an invitation. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the e-mails, spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The e-mails show the Salahis had told Jones earlier that the best way to reach them was through their cell phone.
At 1 a.m. Wednesday — hours after the dinner ended — the Salahis e-mailed Jones to say their "cell phone battery died early this evening while we were in D.C." and they had just received her voice mail message but had gone earlier to the White House anyway.
They wrote that they got in and had a "wonderful evening."
Jones replied: "You are most welcome. I hear the smile in your e-mail. Am delighted you and Michaele had a wonderful time."
The administration official said Jones was assuming the Salahis obtained tickets some other way because she never told them they could come.
On NBC's "Today" Tuesday morning, the Salahis said they had e-mails that would make clear they did not go to the White House uninvited, but said they could not yet provide them while they were cooperating with the Secret Service on its internal investigation.
NBC's parent company, NBC Universal, also owns the cable network Bravo. Michaele Salahi has been trying to land a part on an upcoming Bravo reality show, "The Real Housewives of D.C.," and was filmed by the Bravo show around town as she prepared for the White House dinner.
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Sources: Politico, MSNBC, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Yahoo News, AP, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Facebook, Google Maps
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