Secret Service Interviews Gate-Crashers

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

By MATTHEW L. WALD and ERIC SCHMITT

WASHINGTON — As part of a broadening inquiry into presidential security, Secret Service agents began on Friday interviewing the Virginia couple who sneaked into the White House state dinner three days earlier, a senior federal official involved in the investigation said Sunday.


White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

President Obama greeting Michaele Salahi at his first state dinner last Tuesday as her husband, Tareq Salahi, stood by.

The interviews, which continued Saturday, were conducted in a “neutral location,” neither the home of the couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, nor the Secret Service’s downtown offices, the official said. He would not comment on either the content of the interviews or their length.

The Secret Service is still considering bringing charges against the Salahis, the official said, but the investigation is continuing.

“There are more interviews to do,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the continuing inquiry.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/us/politics/30party.html

[robo50]

1. I wonder if they had their lawyer present, I assume so

And these attention whores have the chutzpah to ask for money from the media?

I hope they spend a lot of years in jail. Plain and simple, to serve as an example to others, and to the terrorists and idiot right wing.

[Tesha]

14. I doubt there's much they can be charged with, let alone convicted on.

Criminal trespass? Maybe. But absent all sorts of "notice",
I'll bet even that can't be made to stick.

We'll see.

Tesha

[Bitwit1234]

19. Oh yes...they lied to a secret service agent and

they say that is a federal offense. Plus they could file other charges. I didn't listen to the whole spiel but the lying was air tight.

[paulsby]

31. if i understand that law correctly

(and i could be wrong), it's illegal to lie to a federal agent, in the course of a criminal investigation. whether or not checking id's at the door to a party qualifies, i don't know.

[Turbineguy]

2. How much will the Sahali's

charge for that interview?

[bluestateguy]

3. We've seen this movie before

The Secret Service "visits", asks a few questions, gives them a really good talking to, and that is that.

Why is Pastor Steven Anderson in Arizona still a free man? Or the asshole in Maryland who held up the sign threatening the whole Obama family?

[bobshin]

21. Or that gay male prostitute that checked in but rarely checked out of the WH. nt

[truthisfreedom]

4. I'm curious exactly what laws were broken.

It would be really weird if they couldn't be charged because they didn't break any particular laws. I mean, it's entirely possible they never misreprestented anything, but simply knew others at the event and tagged along, getting lucky the whole time.

[kirby]

6. Certainly trespassing...

They were not authorized to be on White House property and used deceit/fraud to gain access.

[Tesha]

15. Even that's tricky. Was "notice" given that they were trespassing?

Certainly no one in authority told them they didn't belong there.

Tesha

[onenote]

25. that is far from clear

Unless you know more than has been publicly disclosed, you don't know what they told the secret service. What is known is that the secret service allowed them access which would make a trespassing charge a lot harder to prove.
DC law:
Any person who, without lawful authority, shall enter, or attempt to enter, any public or private dwelling, building, or other property, or part of such dwelling, building, or other property, against the will of the lawful occupant or of the person lawfully in charge thereof, or being therein or thereon, without lawful authority to remain therein or thereon shall refuse to quit the same on the demand of the lawful occupant, or of the person lawfully in charge thereof, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $100 or imprisonment in the Jail for not more than 6 months, or both, in the discretion of the court. The presence of a person in any private dwelling, building, or other property that is otherwise vacant and boarded-up or otherwise secured in a manner that conveys that it is vacant and not to be entered, or displays a no trespassing sign, shall be prima facie evidence that any person found in such property has entered against the will of the person in legal possession of the property.

[kirby]

27. Come on now...

In this country you can be arrested for just about any charge if law enforcement is so motivated. Prosecutors can get a grand jury to indict just about anyone.

As far as DC law, I doubt any of that matters when on Federal Property. And when Secret Service/National Security is involved, I doubt many laws at all matter.

[onenote]

29. You can doubt that DC law matters, but you'd be wrong.

There is no federal criminal code provision for unlawful entry. So, when people have been charged with unlawful entry onto the premises of the White HOuse in the past, they have been charged under the DC Code provision.

Here are two examples:


http://www.andybloch.com/appeal/cases/Boertje.html
http://www.andybloch.com/appeal/cases/Leiss.html

[kirby]

30. Interesting...

From your first case:

"The White House and grounds are protected by the
United States Secret Service and the United States
Secret Service Uniform Division, pursuant to 18
U.S. Code 3056 and 3 U.S. Code 22."

That sounds a pretty broad ability, including "(C) make arrests without warrant for any offense against the
United States committed in their presence, or for any felony
cognizable under the laws of the United States if they have
reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has
committed or is committing such felony;"

So I think you are correct about the DC Court/Laws, but there is still wide latitude in what to apply from the way I read it.
Thanks for the links.

[aquart]

10. With a camera crew?

[watrwefitinfor]

26. Masood assassination, 9/9/2001. With a camera.

And the SS let these clowns in, at least in part, because they were accompanied by a camera crew?

Wat

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. The Salahis are such trash. Did anyone read how they do this routinely, and

are being sued by countless people? They have no respect towards others. I hope they land their behinds in jail.

Also, I read his own mother is suing him or them.

[eilen]

24. I heard on NPR that they

have been sued by numerous charities they have "sponsored" in fundraisers.

[HopeHoops]

7. I'm sure FOX would be singing a different tune if they looked Arab.

They need to be locked up.

[aquart]

11. You forget what FOX is hoping for.

[tomm2thumbs]

8. If this had happened in a foreign event with our President, we'd be furious

And yet it seems like many folks here are not so much concerned. If I were folks in India, I'd really start to question American 'security' as this couple represented a definite danger to their head of state just as much as ours - and they were putting their trust in our security. We dropped the ball 100%. This after Fort Hood? and too many other incidents to name?

We should expect no less of ourselves than of others - and the full weight of the law should fall on whoever allowed this to happen and on those who committed the act. If it turns out they just noodled their way in and got permission without ever specifically lying about it (doubtful since witnesses claim she already lied about an invitation 'in her purse'), then they should be brought on whatever charges will put a fire under anyone else who thinks that playing games with our State Department functions is fair game. Enough. Treat them like adults.

[aquart]

9. "Began interviewing"? "BEGAN"?

Good. I want them as nervous and uncomfortable as those smug asses can get.

[Grassy Knoll]

12. Much ado about nothing.........

He is the president of the america's polo cup, probably should have been invited anyway.




<edited for context>

[mamaleah]

16. Actually it is important that they crashed the dinner.

If you aren't invited, QQ in your room. You do not crash a WH function. It wasn't a frat party. It was a state dinner and we have a lot of crazies that would love to harm our current President.

[Sultana]

18. Nothing???? O_____________________o

They lied to a federal agent.

They trespassed etc...


You sound as if they were ENTITLED to attend a White House event. These 2 trash ain't worth shit.

[melm00se]

13. unless these folks

actually lied to federal authorities to gain entrance (and from what the news reports make it sounds like they did not, they were just overlooked), the most likely thing they could be charged with is simple trespass which appears, even under the federal statutes, to be a petty misdemeanor (which can be considered a non-criminal offense - usually punishable by a fine).

I also wonder what the response would have been to the exact same event, say, 18 months ago?

[lynne]

17. Didn't they tell the Secret Service they'd been invited? That's Lie #1 to a Federal officer -

- That being said, we need to keep in mind that they didn't just walk in off the street. They went through magnetometers and had their bags searched like the invited guests. Anything they could have done inside the gate could have been done by any of the other guests, as well.

[melm00se]

20. i don't know

if they did or did not nor does anyone else who wasn't there. It's pure speculation that they did (or did not).

another question is: Can the SS prove that it was said beyond a reasonable doubt? or do we just take their word that it was said?

From an outsider looking in, it appears that, at best, they trespassed, a very very minor offense and one that could be very problematic as the couple passed through security who gave their tacit approval for them to be there (otherwise they would have been stopped).

there is monumental egg on face here but a good lawyer could definitely argue this before a jury and would have a reasonable chance if winning if the only witness the prosecution could produce is 1 (uncorroborated) statement from a single SS agent.

[bobshin]

22. Like computer software companies hire hackers, the SS should be hiring them. nt

[pitchforksandtorches]

23. The skinny blonde needs a few more meals, state dinners, what-have- you...

[peaches2003]

28. If you climb over the fence you are shot

So these 2 dressed up and walked up to the front door uninvited. In principle, very little difference from the nutjob climbing the fence. No, they shouldn't be shot, but surely should be arrested.

[Mz Pip]

32. How much did the Secret Service

have to pay for these interviews? I heard the perps were asking for 6 figures. :sarcasm: