Congress Will Subpoena Dinner Crashers

Congress will subpoena the White House gate-crashers to testify about how they got into a state dinner without an invitation.

Lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee voted Wednesday to authorize issuance of subpoenas to compel the attention-hungry couple to answer questions about the Nov. 24 incident.

Tareq and Michaele Salahi have said they will invoke their Fifth Amendment rights to refuse to answer questions.

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan has said normal security protocols weren't followed and three uniformed Secret Service officers have been placed on administrative leave.

The committee would not accept its top Republican's proposal to subpoena White House social secretary Desiree Rogers.

Reality TV hopefuls Michaele and Tareq Salahi said through their lawyer on Tuesday that the House Homeland Security Committee has drawn premature conclusions about the Nov. 24 incident, when they were able to get into the state dinner without being on an approved guest list.

In a letter Tuesday, the Salahis' lawyer, Stephen Best, gave examples of what he said were the committee's premature conclusions.

Best cited District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton's characterization of the Salahis on Nov. 30 as "practiced con artists."

More from CBSNews.com on the White House Crashers

Salahis Vow to Take the Fifth
Bob Schieffer: The Salahis Ought to Be Prosecuted
Salahis Among Many Secret Service Breaches
White House Crashing? There's A Law Against That

Best also said that Chairman Bennie Thompson's chief oversight counsel told the Salahis' lawyers that if the couple did not testify at the Dec. 3 hearing, they would be viewed as modern-day versions of "Bonnie and Clyde."

"It is circumstances such as these for which the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution was designed to provide safe harbor," Best wrote.

The Secret Service is currently conducting a criminal investigation into the security breach; charges have yet to be referred for prosecution.

In identical declarations dated Dec. 7, the Salahis said:

"I am aware of statements made by certain members on the Committee on Homeland Security in which premature conclusions concerning my criminal liability have been made. ... The current circumstances warrant invocation of my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination."

The committee's top Republican, New York's Peter King, said he plans to ask Thompson to amend his subpoena to include White House social secretary Desiree Rogers. King had hoped Rogers would testify at the Dec. 3 hearing. She and the Salahis were no-shows.