<p>The Secret Service has confirmed that a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, managed to slip into Tuesday night’s state dinner at the White House even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said.<br /><br />President Barack Obama was never in any danger because the party crashers went through the same security screening for weapons as the 300 plus people actually invited to the dinner honoring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Donovan said. Donovan confirmed the identities of the couple. ‘The Washington Post’, which first reported on their evening out, said the Salahis were well known in the Virginia horse-country set and were being considered for the Bravo reality TV show ‘Real Housewives of DC’.<br /><br />In an interview with the CBS Early Show in September, Michaele Salahi said: “President Obama has made it very accessible for anyone to visit the White House, so that’s like a big thing right now.”<br /><br />The CBS interview was part of a segment on potential candidates for ‘Real Housewives of DC’ but never was aired.<br />The Secret Service learned about the security breach on Wednesday after a media inquiry prompted by the Salahis’ online boasts about having attended the private event, Donovan said.<br /><br />One of the many photos from the dinner posted on Michaele Salahi’s Facebook page shows the couple with a smiling Vice-President Joe Biden.<br />Donovan would not comment on whether the couple had been contacted by the Secret Service, how long they were on the White House grounds or other details of the investigation.<br /><br />‘The Post’ said uninvited guests who got in could face a potential trespassing charge unless someone from inside the White House staff slipped them in. An initial finding indicated that a checkpoint did not follow proper procedures to ensure the two were on the guest list, Donovan said.</p>
<p>The Secret Service has confirmed that a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, managed to slip into Tuesday night’s state dinner at the White House even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said.<br /><br />President Barack Obama was never in any danger because the party crashers went through the same security screening for weapons as the 300 plus people actually invited to the dinner honoring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Donovan said. Donovan confirmed the identities of the couple. ‘The Washington Post’, which first reported on their evening out, said the Salahis were well known in the Virginia horse-country set and were being considered for the Bravo reality TV show ‘Real Housewives of DC’.<br /><br />In an interview with the CBS Early Show in September, Michaele Salahi said: “President Obama has made it very accessible for anyone to visit the White House, so that’s like a big thing right now.”<br /><br />The CBS interview was part of a segment on potential candidates for ‘Real Housewives of DC’ but never was aired.<br />The Secret Service learned about the security breach on Wednesday after a media inquiry prompted by the Salahis’ online boasts about having attended the private event, Donovan said.<br /><br />One of the many photos from the dinner posted on Michaele Salahi’s Facebook page shows the couple with a smiling Vice-President Joe Biden.<br />Donovan would not comment on whether the couple had been contacted by the Secret Service, how long they were on the White House grounds or other details of the investigation.<br /><br />‘The Post’ said uninvited guests who got in could face a potential trespassing charge unless someone from inside the White House staff slipped them in. An initial finding indicated that a checkpoint did not follow proper procedures to ensure the two were on the guest list, Donovan said.</p>
