White House party crashers face subpoenas to appear before House committee
Salahis face subpoenas to appear before house committee. Facebook Photo
By Salim Jiwa
WASHINGTON – White House party crashers Tareq Salahi and his wife Michaele will face subpoenas if they fail to appear at a hearing over the breach of security to be held on Thursday by the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The Salahis caused an uproar when they turned up uninvited at the State Dinner for visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the first state visit hosted by the Obama administration.
It prompted red faced U.S. Secret Service to admit it made a major error.
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued a statement saying he had been informed by the Salahis’ lawyer the flamboyant couple would not turn up to answer questions.
“Late this evening, I was informed by the Salahis’ counsel, that their clients, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, may not appear before the Committee tomorrow as requested,” said Thompson on the committee’s website.
“The Salahis’ testimony is important to explain how a couple circumvented layers of security at the White House on the evening of a State Dinner without causing alarm,” he said.
Vancouverite revealed earlier that the Salahis had managed to convince India’s ambassador to Washington to be the patron of the Polo Cup match in 2010 between Indian and the U.S.
There has been no suggestion though, that India’s ambassador invited them.
The Salahis have posted statements on Facebook claiming they were invited. The Secret Service is probing the couple’s appearance.
“The Committee on Homeland Security must understand the full scope of what went so terribly wrong on Tuesday night to ensure that security gaps are sealed. This can only be achieved by hearing both sides of the matter,” said Thompson.
“If the Salahis are absent from tomorrow’s hearing, the Committee is prepared to move forward with subpoenas to compel their appearance,” he warned.
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