In this Tuesday, November 24, 2009 file photo, Michaele and
Tareq Salahi, right, arrive at a State Dinner hosted by
President Barack Obama for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh at the White House in Washington. Photo by AP.
The couple who crashed President Barack Obama's first
state dinner are peddling their story to broadcast networks for
hundreds of thousands of dollars, a television executive says.
The executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
the network does not publicly discuss bookings, told The
Associated Press that representatives for Michaele and Tareq
Salahi contacted networks to urge them to "get their bids in"
for an interview. The executive said the Virginia couple was
looking for a payment in the mid-six figures range.
Meanwhile, CNN confirmed that the Salahis had canceled an
appearance they had scheduled for Larry King Live on
Monday.
Network news divisions say they don't pay for interviews. But
for eagerly sought interviews in the past, they have offered
to pay for access to exclusive material, such as pictures or
videos from their subjects.
Representatives for the couple did not immediately return
telephone and e-mail requests for comment.
Michaele Salahis is a reality TV hopeful trying to get on
Bravo's The Real Housewives of D.C. Her and her
husband's success in getting into the state dinner on Tuesday
without an invitation embarrassed the White House and Secret
Service.
The agency acknowledged its officers never checked whether
the couple were on the guest list before letting them onto
the White House grounds. But it initially insisted Obama was
never endangered by the security breach because the couple -
like others at the dinner - had gone through magnetometers.
When it became clear the couple had interacted with Obama and
Vice President Joe Biden during the event, Secret Service
Director Mark Sullivan expressed concern and embarrassment.
He said that while an investigation continues, the agency has
taken measures to ensure the oversight is not repeated.
A White House photo showed the Salahis in the receiving line
in the Blue Room with Obama and Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, in whose honor the dinner was held. Obama and
Michaele Salahi are smiling as she grasps his right hand with
both of hers and her husband looks on. Singh is to Obama's
left.
On Saturday, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-NY, who chairs the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee, called for a
review of Secret Service practices and asked for a briefing
this week.
Agency spokesmen declined to comment on reports that agents
had visited the Salahis' vineyard in Hume, Va., in search of
the couple. Voice mail messages left on Saturday at two
separate telephone numbers for the Oasis Winery, south of
Washington, were not immediately returned.
It is unclear what the couple told officers at the checkpoint
that allowed them to go through the security screening. The
Salahis lawyer, Paul Gardner, posted a comment on their
Facebook page saying his clients were cleared by the White
House to be at the dinner.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.