Virginia couple breeze past Secret Service in Presidential Prank

by Stevie Smith - Nov 26 2009, 12:20

While not exactly linked to the kind of security we generally cover here at The Tech Herald, the White House security team surrounding President Barack Obama are currently mopping egg from their collective faces after an opportunistic couple from Virginia conned a clear path to the Obamas during a glitzy dinner event.

Dressed to the nines and full of (quite literally) blinding confidence, Tareq and Michaele Salahi not only slipped past security to mingle with some 300 dinner guests within the White House, they were audacious enough to be snapped with the likes of Vice President Joe Biden, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and TV’s Katie Couric.

Seemingly oblivious to the breach, Secret Service officials were only made aware of the presidential prank after the couple boldly posted their victorious photos on the Internet via hugely popular social networking site Facebook.

“Honored to be at the White House for the state dinner in honor of India with President Obama and our First Lady!” exclaimed the pair on their Facebook account.

While security at the White House is to be reviewed in light of the couple’s con, Secret Service spokesperson Ed Donovan has insisted President Obama was not in danger given that everyone at the party, crashers included, passed through weapon screening procedures before entry.

Donovan refused to comment on further details related to the security breach, such as exactly how the Salahis gained entry despite not being on the guest list, how long they were on the White House grounds, and whether the couple will face charges as a result of their actions.

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