State dinner crashers stopped near White House

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi were stopped in a limo near the White House on Wednesday evening as President Obama was holding his second official state dinner.

The limo driver ran through a red light around 8 p.m., just blocks from the White House, and was stopped by a uniformed Secret Service officer. The attention-hungry couple were among those in the limo, Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said.

The driver was issued an infraction for running the red light.

The Salahis have been under investigation for attending Obama’s first state dinner for India’s prime minister last November even though they were not on a guest list.

The Salahis popped up at a restaurant a few blocks from the White House at about 8 p.m. Wednesday with a group of friends, photographers and cameramen.

“They had a great time with their friends,” said Athina Balta, marketing manager for Kellari Taverna. “There were a lot of cameras and photographers.”

Balta said the group of 10 to 12 people was there from about 8 to 10 p.m. and that there was a lot of filming going on. The group dined on crab cakes, grilled fish and other dishes.

Balta said she wasn’t aware of any conversation related to the state dinner or the White House.

The couple has landed a part on Bravo’s reality show “The Real Housewives of D.C.,” according to news reports.

-- Associated Press