Salahis seek top dollar for TV interview

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The couple who crashed U.S. President Barack Obama's first state dinner are trying to sell their story for hundreds of thousands of dollars, sources said.

Television industry executives said Michaele and Tareq Salahi were seeking "top-dollar bids" for their first television interview about the incident, The New York Times reports in its Sunday edition.

"They are asking for best offers from all the networks," said a TV executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the network does not publicly comment on payment.

The couple put off a planned interview scheduled for Monday on CNN's "Larry King Live," the Times said.

And after posing for photos with President Barack Obama and other guests at the dinner honoring India's prime minister, the couple again stayed out of public view Saturday.

Michaele Salahi, who lives in the Northern Virginia suburbs of the nation's capital, was reportedly being considered as a cast member on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of D.C."

The couple has tried to cultivate their image as socialites.

But The Washington Post reported interviews and court records reveal the Salahis also have a not-so-glamorous side, including dozens of lawsuits alleging the non payment of bills and a long-running, public feud between Tareq Salahi and his parents over the ownership and control of an idled Virginia winery.