December 4, 2009 9:49 AM
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Bob Schieffer: The Salahis Ought to Be Prosecuted
Michaele and Tareq Salahi's intrusion into the White House state dinner was more than an affront to White House protocol, according to CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer -- it was an affront to the American people, for which they must be punished.
"I think the government ought to prosecute these people," Schieffer said today on the CBS Early Show. "If that means sending them to jail, so be it."
The Salahis managed to attend portions of the White House's first state dinner last month, even though they had not been invited. The Northern Virginia couple's entry into the party was the subject of scrutiny at a congressional hearing yesterday. They were asked to testify before Congress but refused. The Secret Service took full responsibility for the security breach and has placed three officers in leave in wake of the incident.
"This is not only a security issue," Schieffer said. "People being able to get into the White House and get up close to the president -- and who knows where that kind of thing goes, but this is also sort of an insult to the American people."
The Salahis were filmed by the television network Bravo in their preparations for the White House dinner, apparently for the upcoming television show "The Real Housewives of D.C." A state dinner, however, is more serious than a fancy party for socialites, Schieffer said on the Early Show.
"State dinners are part of the symbols of our democracy, like the White House itself, like the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem," he said. "And when people are making fun of those things, when they're doing what these people did, that's an insult to all of us. And if these people go to jail, that will be just fine with me."
Bob Schieffer: Gov't Not Santa Claus This Year
"I think the government ought to prosecute these people," Schieffer said today on the CBS Early Show. "If that means sending them to jail, so be it."
The Salahis managed to attend portions of the White House's first state dinner last month, even though they had not been invited. The Northern Virginia couple's entry into the party was the subject of scrutiny at a congressional hearing yesterday. They were asked to testify before Congress but refused. The Secret Service took full responsibility for the security breach and has placed three officers in leave in wake of the incident.
"This is not only a security issue," Schieffer said. "People being able to get into the White House and get up close to the president -- and who knows where that kind of thing goes, but this is also sort of an insult to the American people."
The Salahis were filmed by the television network Bravo in their preparations for the White House dinner, apparently for the upcoming television show "The Real Housewives of D.C." A state dinner, however, is more serious than a fancy party for socialites, Schieffer said on the Early Show.
"State dinners are part of the symbols of our democracy, like the White House itself, like the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem," he said. "And when people are making fun of those things, when they're doing what these people did, that's an insult to all of us. And if these people go to jail, that will be just fine with me."
Bob Schieffer: Gov't Not Santa Claus This Year
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Stephanie Condon Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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