Patricia Murphy

Columnist

Congress Will Hold Hearings on White House Party Crashers

Posted:

11/30/09

Filed Under:The Capitolist

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It's all fun and games until the Secret Service gets involved. That's the message from Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, who announced Monday that he will hold a hearing to investigate last week's White House security breach during the state dinner honoring the prime minister of India.

Michaele and Tareq Salahi, a northern Virginia couple who are auditioning for Bravo's "The Real Housewives of D.C.," were admitted to the dinner by Secret Service agents and were later photographed with the president and vice president, despite having no invitation to the event.

Thompson will call Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, as well as the Salahis, to testify at the Thursday hearing, which will examine the security procedures in place for the dinner, as well as the agency's changes to those procedures since Tuesday's lapse.

"The intent of this administration may be openness and transparency, but a security breakdown that allowed anyone who looked the part to walk off the street into a state dinner is a slap in the face to the Secret Service employees who put their lives on the line to protect our form of government and its leaders," said Thompson.

Thompson will have bipartisan support on Thursday from Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the top Republican on the committee, who said on NBC's "Today" show Monday that Congress should investigate the incident "to find out exactly what the Secret Service is doing to make sure this never happens again." King added, "We can't show this type of weakness to terrorists, to psychopaths."

Thompson and King are among a growing number of members of Congress who want answers about last week's incident, which started as a gossip column headline but revealed critical security lapses at the executive mansion.

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Friday that he wants a review of the entire Secret Service, while Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday": "It's not a laughing matter that people could get that close to the president. You've got to send a strong deterrent that people just don't do this kind of thing."

The investigation into the security procedures comes at the beginning of the holiday season, typically the busiest time of the year for White House entertaining, when thousands of (invited) guests attend lunches, receptions and dinners at the invitation of the administration or the Obama family.

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Patricia Murphy

Patricia Murphy writes "The Capitolist" column for PoliticsDaily.com. She is the founder of Citizen Jane Politics, a non-partisan website for women... more

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Comments (41)

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greatqb44

12:19PM Nov 30th 2009

Thats right..worry bout the important things

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(8)

O. Bin Laden

12:22PM Nov 30th 2009

I certainly enjoyed myself there very much, we must do again soon. Thank you again.

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(7)

richardfusilier

12:22PM Nov 30th 2009

Of Course, the trespassers who crashed the State shindig ought to be punished, but it is no fifferent than millions of illegals crashing our borders with immunity and then amnesty. There is even some question as to the legal status of our President, We can't be too careful

RATE THIS COMMENT:

(5)

goldrushhurry

1:10PM Nov 30th 2009

shadup nitwit.

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(-12)

john black

6:34PM Nov 30th 2009

The only reason we have as many illegal aliens in this country in the first place is because of greedy Republican business owners looking for cheap labor that work for less than the minimum wage and no benefits. This started years ago on a limited basis and gradually became the norm. And it still goes on today because I am living proof of it. The illegals aren't as stupid as you might think. They go where most of the jobs are. If you don't offer them work they will go where the work is. So if say 25 years or so ago when they first started migrating here had these greedy business owners refused them work they would have moved on and we would not have near as many of them here today. And while the business owners were working them they were working the system. They started having children knowing that once they were born they would be naturalized American citizens and as such they can't be deported so their parents have to stay and care for them. So now we have a problem in the health care debate about insuring illegal aliens as the children are legal and their parents aren't which opens another can of worms. So greedy business owners created this problem and now we all have to live with it. I know this from personal experience because my previous employer is guilty of this. When I first went to work there there were no migrant workers at all. By the time I left there this business was more than 60% migrant workers because this company made up excuses to get rid of full time employees some of whom had worked there more than 25 years. And as far as the President being an illegal immigrant give it a rest already.

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(-1)

tyrebitre

11:47PM Nov 30th 2009

"richardofusilier
12:22PM Nov 30th 2009
There is even some question as to the legal status of our President, We can't be too careful"********

Orly Taitz just called for you: something about filing a lawsuit in your name.

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(0)

KSM

12:38PM Nov 30th 2009

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful diner. I enjoyed your company and that of Eric Holder in allowing me the opportunity to put the Bush Administration on trial.

Should you be in Gitmo any time soon please stop by and we will do lunch.

Again, thank you for your hospitality.

God is Great

KSM

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(10)

Betty Butler

12:57PM Nov 30th 2009

Puleese.
Could all media STOP giving this couple coverage?
This is exactly what they want. Builds their portfolio and eventually their pocketbook.
Investigate privately, a little sidenote okay.
But there are bigger news stories more worthy than these two polaroid people.
Give them no tune time, they go back to being the nobodies they are.

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(10)

Alex Lekas

1:56PM Nov 30th 2009

Congressional hearings? Really? Since no one else will say it, I'll offer up the politically incorrect explanation: what is this couple's last name? Will the Secret Service agent who wants to be charged with profiling or listen to folks raising sand about discrimination at such an event please come to the front of the line.

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(7)

gigantosapiens

4:11PM Nov 30th 2009

How much is this going to cost the taxpayer? Not only are the liberal demos spending money, they are also causing expensive mistakes.

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(6)

knappag1

4:58PM Nov 30th 2009

These two perverts are terrorists . I say arrest them and send them to one of the CIA secret prisons for torture

I say hold them for months, torture them, find out who helped them and then burn them at the stake

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(1)

knappag1

4:58PM Nov 30th 2009

It is simple make an example of them and send them to a secret CIA prison

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(-1)

sadmaawk

5:21PM Nov 30th 2009

I sure hope the elected from Florida can find something better to do than attend this kind of hearing. Like find out how come so many of our kids keep dying.

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(2)

knappag1

5:31PM Nov 30th 2009

They are terorist so send them to a secrte CIA prison for torture

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(-1)

rlau290541

5:34PM Nov 30th 2009

Who was handling security, Joe Biden?

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(8)

yakami11

5:59PM Nov 30th 2009

Does congress think they are so exalted that an average person couldn't sit with them. Get real waste of time administration.

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(3)

bob

6:08PM Nov 30th 2009

Maybe after that they could take up the Tiger Woods issue. Or anything else of interest that TMZ is covering currently. Cuz obviously there's just not much else going on right now.

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(6)

garry402

7:10PM Nov 30th 2009

Bob, you just stole my thunder. Inquiring minds want to know which golf club was Tiger's wife chasing him with. I am putting odds on a 7-iron.

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(5)

bob

9:39PM Nov 30th 2009

Garry, I'm wondering, since he was found on the driveway, does the cart path rule apply? I've never played that particular exclusive subdivision.

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(2)

john black

6:38PM Nov 30th 2009

Why don't you start watching NBC news and get away from Fox misinterpret the news

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(-4)

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