WORLD EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: White House Gatecrashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi Demand Apology
May 18 2010, Published 4:40 a.m. ET
Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the infamous couple dubbed the White House Gatecrashers, are demanding the White House apologize to them for the embarrassing State Dinner fiasco last November.
Watch our exclusive video interview here on Breaking Celebrity News
In a brand new interview about the incident that created a national security scandal and cost presidential Social Secretary Desiree Rogers her job, the Salahis have also exclusively told Breaking Celebrity News the congressional investigation on Capitol Hill was a "charade" and a waste of tax-payer dollars.
"It would be nice if somebody apologized to us and for (the White House) to call it quits," Tareq Salahi, along with his wife Michaele, told Breaking Celebrity News.
"I would certainly not treat anyone this way that comes to my house, even if there was a question about an invitation, or there was some miscommunication... I would still welcome anyone and be gracious.”
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Read President George W. Bush’s Letters To The Salahis
Said Michaele: "The American way is to love people."
The couple also revealed they've received numerous death threats following the incident that set off a firestorm over security at the White House. The Salahi's earned their White House Gatecrashers nickname because they were able to enter the dinner for the Indian Prime Minister without invitations.
In one disturbing incident after that event, Michaele said she received a package at their Virginia home containing a used condom.
"It's been painful, it's been upsetting that we can't speak on the truth and the facts," Tareq said. "We have a lot inside of us that we want to get out.
WORLD EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Before President Obama, The Salahis Rubbed Shoulders With Royalty
"It is a totally different life now and is really impossible to describe.
"We have received 70-30 (percent) positive-negative... 30 who think it was a stunt to become famous and it wasn't," added Michaele. "That's 100 percent not the case."
To the embarrassment of the White House and the Secret Service, the Salahis shook hands with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, without having a formal invitation or their names on the official guest list, the White House has said.
While the couple have maintaned that they didn’t crash the bash -- the administration's first state dinner -- they still have not yet produced evidence that will categorically exonerate them from the allegation.
When asked point-blank whether or not they had been explicitly invited to the White House state dinner, Tareq told Breaking Celebrity News: "Without a doubt, there is no question that we were extended an invitation.
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"We provided that to our entertainment lawyer and we copied our White House contact, on that information, that they requested. Nobody knows that and nobody has bothered to ask us about that, except for the Secret Service investigation."
The couple repeatedly took the Fifth Amendment before a congressional committee on Capitol Hill in January, because as Tareq said, they'd been "declared guilty" before even entering the room. Their interview with Breaking Celebrity News sheds new light on the escapade.
The couple also:
- Revealed a senior White House official, who they won’t name, invited them to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, during a conversation that took place at the dinner.
- Fingered top Pentagon official Michelle S. Jones, special assistant to the Secret