Michaele and Tareq Salahi insist during a Today Show interview on Tuesday that they were invited to Obama’s state dinner, and that they did not crash it. Michaele and Tareq Salahi appeared Tuesday on the Today Show in their first public interview. Michaele and Tareq Salahi stated that they were not being paid for the interview and that they never asked anyone for money for an interview. The couple appears exhausted in the video below.
A close friend of the couple, Casey Margenau told the Washington Post on Monday, “There was e-mail correspondence confirming they were legitimately supposed to be there, they understood they were invited.”
The Washington Post reported an email exchange did occur between the Salahis and Michele S. Jones, special assistant to the Secretary of Defense. Jones admits to the email exchange, but denies she promised them admittance to President Obama’s state dinner.
“I did not state at any time, or imply that I had tickets for ANY portion of the evening’s events,” Jones said Monday in a statement released by the White House. “I specifically stated that they did not have tickets and in fact that I did not have the authority to authorize attendance, admittance or access to any part of the evening’s activities. Even though I informed them of this, they still decided to come.”
The Salahis believed they were invited and attended the dinner. The couple has been dubbed “the most infamous party crashers in the world” by MSNBC. This is a label the Salahis state they are embarrassed by.
In their first television interview on the Today Show Tareq Salahi stated, “This has been the most devastating thing that’s ever happened to us,” “We’re greatly saddened by all the circumstances that have been involved in portraying my wife and I as party crashers. I can tell you we did not party crash the White House.”
“Our lives have been destroyed, everything we’ve worked for, Matt,” Michaele Salahi said. “For me, 44 years, just destroyed.”
Michaele Salahi stated that there was no confusion about the White House dinner party situation.
“We were invited, not crashers,” she said. “There isn’t anyone that would have the audacity or the poor behavior to do that … certainly not us.”
“We are cooperating extensively with the U.S. Secret Service on their internal review and investigation,” Tareq Salahi said. “The truth will come out.” The couple also stated that they have turned over their proof of innocence to the Secret Service.
Sources: MSNBC and the Washington Post
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