The Frenzy About White House Gatecrashers: Did the Media Overreact?

Should the Salahis be boiled in oil, mercilessly flogged or has the media made it much more than it really was?

After hearing about Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the brazen pair who crashed the White House State Dinner, I was alternately intrigued and worried, especially the way the media reported it.

In particular CNN, where Tom Foreman and Erica Hill, subbing for Anderson Cooper, kept harping at how horrible it was and that national security was clearly at stake.

Please, this is much ado about -- not exactly nothing, but not nearly as much as they were screaming about. And I say this as one who adores Erica Hill, in particular her eyebrow raised banter with Anderson Cooper. But I guess when she's actually hosting the show, she's determined at all costs to prove she's a serious journalist.

Okay, but when she ominously suggests what these folks did might get them into prison, fueled by Bush Homeland Security Advisor Frances Fragos Townsend, who said it was a federal offense to lie to a federal officer, I have to say, enough! Let's put it all into perspective, not to mention why Ms. Townsend wasn't outraged about the lies told to federal officials in the Bush administration concerning the so-called weapons of mass destruction that got us into a seemingly endless and deadly war in Iraq.

So, what did these masqueraders do that was so different from the Streaker who got into the Academy Awards or any other famed gate crasher of recent memory? Yes, it was the White House, but it's not as if they were found in the residential quarters hiding under the president's bed. Indeed, some of you may remember the unwelcome guest Queen Elizabeth woke up to in her Buckingham Palace bedroom in 1982. That was a national security breach. What happened at the State Dinner pales in comparison.

Did the Secret Service err? Absolutely. Was the president in apparent danger, absolutely not. No more than when he steps out of the White House and attends a county fair or similar dinners held in grand hotels.

The Salahis somehow talked their way through the initial entrance point, then went through metal detectors, as did all the guests. Some have said, "But they could have picked up a knife from a table." So could any of the other guests, and just because the others were "cleared" through social security cards and the like, were they all so well-known that they couldn't have been part of some sleeper cells living in America for years?

But someone might say, "When Michaela Salahi shook hands with the president, she could have kissed him with her poison lipstick," as if straight out of a James Bond thriller. And so could anyone on a receiving line at any of the hundreds of events the president attends during the year, where people are not screened in advance. He always has secret service bodyguard protection around him and certainly did at this reception. But it's impossible to totally protect the president from all situations, so it's silly to get hysterical about this happenstance, except to wonder how the uninvited got to mingle with the elites, who'd gotten official nods.

Are there background checks for the kids and parents who come onto the White House lawn for the Easter Egg Roll each year? The president and his family mingle with them as well. Not to mention the many, many tourists who visit the White House daily, whether the president is there or not. While there, they are watched. They do not have free rein of the mansion. Just as the Salahis and the other State Dinner guests (including the Indian Prime Minister and his wife) could not have walked anywhere they wanted and taken the elevator to the family residence.

I think there's amazement at what the Salahis did, and the Secret Service should take note, but what the Salahis accomplished didn't make Obama particularly unsafe if the basic protections surrounding the immediate area of the president are in place.

Crashing a party, even at The White House, does not rise to the level of a federal crime, so much as indicate dismay that the officials in charge were not able to keep the riff raff out. I'm not pooh-poohing the necessity to keep all of our First Families and thus the well being of our nation secure. However, I'm saying what the Salahis did was a rather remarkable achievement, but no more a cause for alarm than if they had achieved the same result at a dinner attended by President Obama at the Waldorf-Astoria.

I also find it intriguing that there were many who were willing to give the Balloon Family a pass, in particular the often smug Jeffrey Toobin, also of CNN, who essentially said that, while it was wrong, nothing horrible had been done.

No? In that instance, not only were millions of Americans gripped in terror worrying about a little boy's safety, but more significantly the Heenes had launched an aeronautical object that could have wreaked havoc on an airplane or caused severe damage to electrical or telephone wires. And don't forget thousands who combed the areas searching for the balloon and the supposedly lost boy, including professional safety people who might have been used elsewhere for a true emergency, which fortunately never occurred.

The Media, be they Brian Williams on NBC, Katie Couric on CBS, Diane Sawyer on ABC, or the cable outlets Fox News, MSNBC and the The New York Times and The Washington Post in their bid for competitive ad dollars, seem content to make news out of news that is only partially so. Or blow things out of proportion such as in the Michael Jackson non-stop coverage or Octomom. To suggest that the Salahis go to federal prison is nonsense. They should be thanked for exposing some flaws in the Secret Service System, though the flaws themselves led to no real danger to the president, and isn't that the real story?

Michael Russnow's website is www.ramproductionsinternational.com

 

Follow Michael Russnow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kerrloy

Comments

[faith]

The Salahis are sophisticated people. They knew exactly what they were doing and intended to benefit. Selfish greed. Why should their punishment be any less severe than it would be for a poor couple attempting to attend a private party. The police would haul off anyone for at least trespass. These people stood their ground and with "moral authority" indicated to the secret service they had a right to be there. Be at the President's State dinner event. Ridiculous. They should have been fingerprinted that very night. If the law does it to kids they should do it to the high rollers as well. Justice for All.

[Anonani]

We can only hope that the occasion of President Barack Obama's first State Dinner causes the Salahis to break out in hives should anyone ever recall it to them. Whatever is done, or not done to them, should serve as a clear deterrent to any copycat opportunists.

[esgabel]

They belong in jail--with a hefty fine on their way out...this was not an over reaction!

[Martha12]

They were definitely NOT on the guest list, so they could not POSSIBLY have had a bona fide invitation.

Since this was a huge fraud, planned and aided by the Bravo TV team..........they could all be charged under the RICO Act.

Both the couple and Bravo stand to make a great deal of money from this stunt. This is a clear conspiracy between these parties for financial gain.

We have yet to know for certain, if anyone else was involved, and/or bribery was committed.

RICO offenses

Under the law, racketeering activity means:

Any violation of state statutes against gambling, murder, kidnapping, extortion, arson, robbery, bribery, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled substance or listed chemical (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act);

Any act of bribery, counterfeiting, theft, embezzlement, fraud, dealing in obscene matter, obstruction of justice, slavery, racketeering, gambling, money laundering, commission of murder-for-hire, and several other offenses covered under the Federal criminal code (Title 18);

Embezzlement of union funds;
Bankruptcy fraud or securities fraud;
Drug trafficking;
Money laundering and related offenses;
Bringing in, aiding or assisting aliens in illegally entering the country (if the action was for financial gain);
Acts of terrorism.

[OverIt]

Balloon Boy was just the beginning! Our substance-averse "media" has once again confirmed the clearest, easiest path to fame/notoriety.

I'm contacting my congressman and Senators on Monday to sponsor a bill to make getting into a secure location where the President and dignitaries are expected under false pretenses a specifically articulated crime with a MANDATORY prison-term.

That is the only way to keep copycats and future fame monsters from attempting the same stunt and overwhelming the Secret Service by their sheer number--- potentially distracting the Secret Service from someone with nefarious motives and with more sophisticated means.

[dsws]

It's good to see someone bucking the tide on this, but you go a bit farther than I would.

Yes, we should be glad when security holes become known to the authorities. But having them become known to the whole world isn't so salutary. You and I don't know exactly what we would have to go through in order to get within arm's length of the president. If that information were readily available, would-be assassins would have a much easier time of it.

Yes, he may occasionally come within shooting distance of random tourists at the White House, or of people in public places he goes. But a would-be assassin can't choose to be in the one tourist group he happens to go near. A security hole that lets someone deliberately get within handshake distance is much more severe.

Yes, it's possible that a sleeper cell could elude detection, and its members could pass background checks. But that places considerable limits on the activities of such a cell, and particularly on its recruitment. Background checks for White House guests are of value, and having someone bypass them is not trivial.

[farseer]

Thank you for a voice of sanity. These people definitely should be thanked, and not prosecuted.

Crashers, hackers, and airline pranksters who expose flaws in security should be treated like whistleblowers, and should NEVER be prosecuted. (I am not talking about real criminals or terrorists.) To do would amount to shooting the messenger. Worse, it would discourage future crahsers, hackers, and pranksters from exposing future security gaps.

ONLY real criminals or terrorists -- persons who are shown to have ill intentions or who do actual harm (i.e. those caught with weapons, or who harm the computers they hack) should be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed.

[sino53]

I agree.

These two airheads did us a big favor.

They exposed a possible flaw in White House security that could have been serious if a real assassin wanted to try it.

In fact, I always assumed that we had professional security personnel who constantly tested and probed White House security to attempt to find possible flaws. I guess I was wrong. Or else maybe none of them ever thought of the brilliant disguise of wearing an expensive designer dress.

[ESerafina42]

The difference - the motive. A lot of the so-called pranksters have the *purpose* of exposing the flaws, and often have attempted to point them out and been ignored. These people's sole purpose, as far as I can tell, was to get their however many hours of fame Bravo is willing to give them and whatever book deal some publisher is stupid enough to offer them.

[sytgrl]

The entire premise of this article is based on a false equivalency, i.e. "this wasn't as bad as when..." Your argument does not fly. Comparing this to the Easter Egg hunt or the Academy Awards is apples and oranges. Yes, every event has its own security risks--a town hall will pose a bigger risk than a WH press conference. The point is that the SS has to do everything it can to protect the president. In this case, they were able to control who was able to attend the event, and failed.

[mlaiuppa]

What bothers me most about this incident is the Salahi's using the White House and our President to further their personal goals of securing a place on a reality TV show.

That cheapens the office and our country.

I didn't think the Salahis were a security risk and I didn't fear for Obama's safety. But their prank and it's subsequent media coverage does damage respect for our President and our country. While the Salahis don't deserve prison, they also don't deserve to be rewarded for this juvenile behavior either.

[lauriemann]

Oh please. The coverage of this non-event cheapens the value of the NEWS coverage. Jerks like these pull stunts like this all over, moreso now with the "reality TV" binge. The fact that it's been reported on so much is ridiculous.

The Salahis should be fined but not arrested or tried.

[Anonani]

It is not a prank when it involves the President of the United States.

[Elyriaohio]

Punishment?
A 2 year probation with NO internet or cell phones to promote their schemes. Also they must wear clothing only from Walmart & drive a Ford Focus.
They would probably prefer death.

[LBaby]

LOL!! And she will have to dye her own hair - no salons...

[Anonani]

Obviously, you don't get it. It is symptomatic of at least one night of significant vulnerability in the security of our President. You may think that this is much ado about nothing, and that he was never in any danger, but the Secret Service is being taxed to protect him at an unprecedented level in recent history, by their own admission. This cannot be taken lightly and dismissed because of the cream puffs these two may be.

[MAragon]

Precisely and if there are charges that apply then those two and whoever - if anyone else - put them up to it. Federal Trespassing at the very least.

[moderateguy]

Exhibitionism and publicity stunts are in our DNA as an American culture. It has been that way for hundreds of years. It is the genius that is America.

[marlovian]

El Presidente is obviously feeling no pain in that photo.

[Pleneras]

Excellent points, especially the last paragraph. Cable information media's need to overkill any story with personal opinion in order to kill time on air is another contributiing factor.

[texastrixie]

You don't get it. The way they fix this problem is to ramp up the Secret Service vetting to the maximum. I am sure the Secret Service would perfer to vet every family who comes to that Easter egg hunt. The Secret Service (especially for this President who has been threatened more than almost any other in history) would like to keep a bullet-proof pexiglass bubble around the President whenever he is not in the WH family quarters. That's their job. This couple of publicity-seekers will force Obama to bend much more towards protection that openness. You keep harping on the fact that nothing bad happened. But that's not the point. The Secret Service have to respond as if something bad had happened - they can't just tweak a few things and go on. People will have to be fired, and others demoted. People will lose their careers. You can bet that the people who replace them will be much more hardline about WH parties, events, etc., so that they won't end up the same way. And because we are a nation with crazies all over, there will be many people who try to do this same stunt. And all because these two wanted to promote their own personal prominence to the detriment of our President.

[Hysterian68]

The major networks continue to lose market share. They're all desperate to pounce on anything to get the sheep to whom they appeal--especially CNN and Fox watchers--to hang on their every word.

Eventually, all news will be come from a single robot driven by software. I can't wait.