We all remember the movie The Wedding Crashers about two men who crash parties as uninvited guests. It was fiction. We all just saw the sequel to that movie called The White House Party Crashers. It is fact. Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction. Two days before Thanksgiving an aspiring reality TV couple crashed the White House formal state dinner. Neither were invited. Nor were their names on the guest list. Yet, they boldly strut their stuff right past Secret Service on their evening escapade. Is it that easy to get into a formal White House event these days? Apparently, it is. How did this happen? It’s quite simple. Secret Service was not doing their job.
Reveling in their clever charade, the interlopers posted their photos on Facebook. These uninvited persons shook hands with President Obama, posed with Vice President Biden, and was in the same room with Mrs. Obama, Indian Prime Minister Singh and other honored guests. This is no laughing matter. And it should not be treated as one. If we can’t prevent a couple of amateur, immature imposters from entering the White House, how can we handle terrorists or those who mean harm to President Obama? Apparently, sadly we can’t.
As the couple knowingly entered the White House as uninvited guests at a private affair, they were trespassers. It is a crime. Trespassing on federal property probably carries a higher sentence. We prosecute adoring crazed fans who enter uninvited the homes of Hollywood celebrities. This couple’s antics are far worse. Ironically, according to sources, the trespassers have a sign posted on their house that says trespassers will be prosecuted. So they will understand when they are prosecuted. No ignorance of the law here. You may recall we prosecuted another reality TV couple recently. Balloon boy’s parents were prosecuted and pled guilty to a felony for their bogus balloon hoax. There was actually more of an outcry against balloon boy’s parents’ hoax than this stunt.
More importantly, there should be a greater outcry of concern for President Obama’s safety and the noncompliance or breach of security measures. Secret Service agents responsible for the security breach should be severly disciplined. They were at fault in the worse way. Just imagine if this happened during the Bush Cheney era. They would be charged with trespassing by now, conspiracy to commit an unlawful act or worse. So where is the outrage now?
I just hope there will not be a sequel to this movie. I’ve seen enough.
Postscript: 3 days after the incident the Secret Service issued a statement saying they are deeply concerned and embarassed by the incident. Embarassment should be the least of their concerns.