Odd News
Uninvited couple gate-crashes Obama state dinner
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-26 15:01
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 A general view of the tables and guests during a state dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama for India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a giant tent on the South Lawn of the White House, November 24, 2009. [Agencies]  |
WASHINGTON: The Secret Service is investigating how an uninvited couple was admitted to US President Barack Obama's White House state dinner, penetrating layers of security, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
The agency charged with protecting the president and other high-level officials is conducting a comprehensive review of the security breach on Tuesday at the dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, US Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said.
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The White House has asked the Secret Service for a full review of what happened, an official said.
"An initial finding has identified one of our checkpoints that did not follow proper procedures to ensure that the two individuals that were named in the Washington Post story were on the invited guests list," Donovan said. But he said no was at the dinner was ever in danger.
"I want to stress that these individuals went through magnetometers and several other levels of screenings just as all of the guests attending the dinner did," he said.
"We don't rely on just magnetometers or the level of screenings," he added." That's why we have the agents with our protectees at all times ."
The couple, described by The Washington Post as aspiring reality-TV stars and polo-playing socialites, were seen arriving at the White House.
According to the Post, the uninvited guests were in the same room as the Obamas and Prime Minister Singh, but it is not known if they met.
A dozen pictures posted on Facebook appear to show the couple posing with dinner guests including Vice President Joe Biden, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty, CBS News anchor Katie Couric, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
