Gatecrasher mingled with top politicos

Carlos Allen posts dinner pictures on Facebook

Carlos Allen, the third gatecrasher has posted pictures on the social networking site Facebook that he was able to get close to some of the nation’s most elite politicians and media figures at the event, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and CBS News anchor Katie Couric.

The pictures appear to be typical Washington “grip and grin” event photos — famous figures are often approached by partygoers with a request for photos at events, and frequently pose for party pictures with people they’ve never met before, “The Politico” reported.

Allen and his attorney have denied reports that he was not invited to the White House party. Allen claims to have the invite. The Secret Service has not revealed the name of the third gate crasher. But Allen said he has been questioned by the Secret Service and is cooperating with them.

“The pictures are further evidence that Allen attended the dinner; was invited and treated as an invited guest and that he attended on behalf of Hush to interview guests and took several pictures with some very significant people — perhaps embarrassing to the Secret Service and White House, but not to Carlos Allen and the mission of the magazine,” Allen’s lawyer A Scott Bolden said.

In other pictures, Allen is standing next to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Attorney General Eric Holder, Rep John Conyers (Democrat fromMichigan), senior presidential adviser David Axelrod, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, author Deepak Chopra, John Kerry (Democrat from Massachusetts) and actress Alfre Woodard.

Other big names in the shots: White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, economic adviser Larry Summers, NBC news anchor Brian Williams, CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Barack Obama’s personal assistant Reggie Love, and longtime Washington power player Vernon Jordan.
It’s not clear who took the photos inside the White House event. The pictures were posted late on Monday night on the Facebook page of James Packard Gomez, co-owner of the elite Georgetown Erwin Gomez salon, “Politico” said.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi had shocked the White House by entering Obama’s first State Dinner on November 24 last year uninvited, and the breach was discovered only when they posted their pictures on social networking sites.