Rogers stays mum on 'party crashing'

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CHICAGO, June 13 (UPI) -- A former White House social secretary, criticized when uninvited guests crashed a state dinner for India, says she still won't talk about it.

Desiree Rogers, who resigned under scandal in February as the Obamas' social secretary after Tareq and Michaele Salahi crashed the first state dinner of President Obama's administration, which was held for India, rebuffed questions about the affair, saying she didn't want to make more difficult the work of her "many good friends" in the White House, the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday.

Citing the BP disaster, two wars, an economy in trouble, the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings and the attempted bombing of an airliner in 2009, Rogers said her former White House colleagues have tough stuff to deal with.

"It's not teensy stuff. It's big, ugly stuff," she said, requiring "My-God, what-am-I-going-to-do?" decisions.

Rogers joined Johnson Publishing Co. June 1 as a consultant, although the tenure is "currently being determined," said company spokeswoman Wendy Parks.

Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer Linda Johnson Rice, a friend of more than 25 years, said in a statement: "Desiree is extremely talented and brings with her a diverse array of high-level business, brand management, operations and marketing experience, and I look forward to working very closely with her to assist in the strategic development of the company."