State dinner crashers try to steal spotlight again
WASHINGTON (AP) - Media-hungry couple Michaele and Tareq Salahi attempted to crash the Obama administration's second state dinner, but were quickly stopped by Secret Service...
WASHINGTON (AP) — They just couldn’t stay away.
Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the party crashers from the Obama administration’s first state dinner, managed to get themselves a cameo on the fringes of the second.
The publicity-hungry couple were in a limousine that was stopped by a Secret Service officer just blocks from the White House on Wednesday night as the Obamas’ second state dinner was under way inside. Their driver was ticketed at about 8 p.m. after running a red light and signaling an intent to turn into a restricted area near the Ellipse behind the White House, according to Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan.
The incident didn’t seem to put a damper on the Salahi’s spirits.
The northern Virginia couple and a group of friends next popped up at a restaurant a few blocks from the White House — with photographers and cameras in tow.
“They had a great time with their friends,” said Athina Balda, marketing manager for Kellari Taverna. “There were a lot of cameras and photographers.”
WATCH ‘WAY TOO EARLY’ COVERAGE OF THE STATE DINNER HERE:
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Balda said the group of 10-12 people was there from about 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and that there was a lot of filming going on. The group dined on crab cakes, grilled fish and other dishes.
The Salahis reportedly have landed a part on Bravo’s upcoming reality TV show “The Real Housewives of DC,” but the network is keeping up the tease about whether the couple made the cut.
Cameron Blanchard, a spokeswoman for the network, would only say that any cameras filming the Salahis on Wednesday weren’t working for the network or its production company.
The Salahis have been under investigation for talking their way into Obama’s first state dinner last November even though they weren’t on the guest list. The couple managed to shake hands with Obama in a receiving line and pose for photos with Vice President Joe Biden. It later came out that a third person also got into the dinner without an invitation.
The whole thing was a huge embarrassment for the White House and Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, who later resigned.
The White House and Secret Service subsequently tightened their security procedures,
There was no immediate explanation for what the Salahis were up to on Wednesday night. The Salahis’ former publicist, Mahogany Jones, said Thursday she’s no longer representing the couple.
Neither an e-mail nor a phone call to the Salahis was immediately returned.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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