Stately Gatecrash

A couple who managed to gatecrash a White House state dinner for the Indian prime minister – and later boasted about it on Facebook- have sparked an urgent investigation into the US Secret Service’s security procedures. “Michaele and Tareq Salahi were not on the guest list for Tuesday’s dinner, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said. President Barack Obama was never in any danger because the party crashers went through the same security screening for weapons as the 300-plus people actually invited to the dinner honouring Indian premier Manmohan Singh, Mr Donovan said. The Washington Post, which first reported on the Salahis’ evening out, said the couple were well-known in the Virginia horse-country set.”