Joe Biden On White House Crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi: "Like They Were Old Buddies"

By: Ryan Smith
Topics: Daily Blotter

5815932Photo: The Salahis with Vice President Joe Biden.

WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) During their state dinner escapades, alleged White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi posed for photos with the "Who's Who" of American politics.

PICTURES: White House Crashers Celebrity Pals

Among the "lucky" beneficiaries of the Salahis' shutterbug-fever was Vice President Joe Biden.

5803574Photo: The Salahis with President Obama.

PICTURES: White House Crashers' Celebrity Pals

Biden said this morning on CBS' The Early Show that he didn't know the couple, but had assumed they were invited.

"I just assumed like everyone else they were guests. They acted like they knew everybody in the room," Biden said Wednesday in morning television interviews. They acted "like they were my old buddies."

(Facebook)

Photo: The Salahis have a long habit of snapping pictures with celebrities, this one with Donny Osmond.

PICTURES: White House Crashers' Celebrity Pals

Asked whether he thought the Salahis should face criminal charges for attending without an invitation, Biden said: "There's an old joke: That's above my pay grade."

The couple, who is currently trying out for a slot on the reality series "Real Housewives of D.C.," has said they believed they were invited. The Secret Service says they weren't on the guest list and that it erred by letting them into the Nov. 24 dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Biden said he was "completely satisfied" with the Secret Service, which he said does "a great job protecting me and my family."

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine spoke about the Salahis yesterday, saying that he "knows" the couple and is not at all surprised by their alleged actions.

"If somebody had said to me hey, some Virginians tried to crash a party, there are seven and a half million Virginians who do you think it would be, I think I might be able to guess it in about five seconds."

MEDIA
PICTURES: White House Crashers Celebrity Pals

POLITICAL HOTSHEET
Salahis Accused of Crashing Congressional Black Caucus Dinner

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
December 01, 2009 - White House Crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi: "We Were Invited!" (Video)
November 30, 2009 - Pictures: White House Crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi Have Celebrity-Packed Photo Album
November 30, 2009 - White House Crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi Finally Get Invitation… To Testify Before Congress
November 30, 2009 - White House Crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi Should Be "Brought to Justice," Says Senator
November 27, 2009 - White House Crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi May Face Criminal Charges, Says Secret Service

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by ewkendricks December 3, 2009 1:47 AM EST: Well, these slime are a direct product of the disgusting, repulsive, worthless, mindless parade of reality shows prevalent on TV today. They are pretending to be who they are not - celebrities! It looks as if their claim to fame, a la the balloon fools, will simply allow them to fall on their swords after their 15 minutes of unwarranted fame, rather, notoriety, placing them in the same category as serial killers, for example, who are also "famous" for the wrong reasons. These clowns should be embarrassed.; Reply to this comment


by ewkendricks December 3, 2009 1:46 AM EST: Well, these slime are a direct product of the disgusting, repulsive, worthless, mindless parade of reality shows prevalent on TV today. They are pretending to be who they are not - celebrities! It looks as if their claim to fame, a la the balloon fools, will simply allow them to fall on their swords after their 15 minutes of unwarranted fame, rather, notoriety, placing them in the same category as serial killers, for example, who are also "famous" for the wrong reasons. These clowns should be embarrassed.; Reply to this comment


by RCC_Soldaten December 2, 2009 11:53 PM EST: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,578990,00.html; Reply to this comment


by guest173 December 2, 2009 11:09 PM EST: even if the crashers totally misunderstood the invitation, the secret service shouldn't have been so easily manipulated by someone claiming "hey I was invited." they probably let her go because she's blonde, hopefully terrorists won't start dying their hair, they could probably get in too; Reply to this comment


by kbbpll December 2, 2009 9:36 PM EST: This country is filled with poser ********** like these two.; Reply to this comment


by bann65 December 2, 2009 8:48 PM EST: The "crashers", are going to be having a party with the balloon people and Octomom. Maybe Bidne will be invited! :); Reply to this comment


by Mokkie57 December 2, 2009 7:53 PM EST: Hey thats all right!; Reply to this comment


by cbsblogger December 2, 2009 7:47 PM EST: These people represent the moral depravity that has usurped the real values of honesty from our society such as an interest in and caring for others, ethics, and family that used to exist in America.

Instead it is the desire of greed and the demand for celebrity for 15 seconds and promotes the foolishness of reality TV that permeates but does nothing of value to most Americans.

IMHO they are the poster children of what is wrong in the USA.; Reply to this comment


by writer10 December 2, 2009 7:42 PM EST: There's nothing worse than narcissistic attention wh*res in any social circle - even the Gov of their own state is familiar with their antics -very pathetic indeed - However, in the invited guests defense, including WH personnel, I'm sure with the many meet and greets they encounter, they very well may have been maintaining social graces thinking "Um, OK, I haven't a clue as to who they are, but they're on the guest list, therefore they know somebody here"; Reply to this comment

by thesevenveils December 2, 2009 7:27 PM EST

Donny looks truly so Gay in this picture. I didn't know he was such a makeup queen.

Reply to this comment


by erasmus111 December 2, 2009 10:51 PM EST: That was probably taken when he was doing that Broadway play.

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