White House crashers met president

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the couple who crashed U.S. President Obama's first state dinner, got to meet the president, the White House said Friday.

The couple met and shook hands with the president and first lady in the Blue Room Tuesday night before guests moved to a tent on the South Lawn for dinner, a White House spokesman said Friday.

The White House released a photograph of the couple being greeted by Obama as he stood next to the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, The New York Times reported Saturday. The Secret Service said the couple crashed the event honoring Singh.

In a statement, Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan said the agency was "deeply concerned and embarrassed." Sullivan said the agency wanted to interview the Salahis and others involved and did not rule out criminal charges, the Times said.

"The preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list," Sullivan said.

The Salahis, who live outside the nation's capital in Northern Virginia, hope to land roles in the Bravo cable network's forthcoming show "The Real Housewives of D.C.," The Washington Post reported Friday. The "Housewives" series -- with shows filmed in Orange County, Calif., Atlanta and New Jersey -- is a popular reality show fixture for the network.

Secret Service agent Edwin Donovan said in a statement the gatecrashers went through metal detectors "and other levels of security."

The Salahis' attorney, Paul W. Gardner, says the couple did not crash the event.

"My clients were cleared, by the White House, to be there. More information is forthcoming," the attorney wrote on the couple's Facebook page.

The couple are named in at least 16 civil suits in Fauquier County, including Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation for the family wine business, CNN reported.