White House Press Corps Hammers Gibbs On Party Crashers; He Blames Secret Service

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by Steve Krakauer | 3:33 pm, November 30th, 2009

» 33 comments

The White House press corps peppered Press Secretary Robert Gibbs with questions about the party crashers, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, and he appeared to place the blame squarely on the Secret Service.

During today’s briefing, several correspondents tried to get Gibbs to expand on the announced investigation and vague public comments by the Secret Service. They didn’t have much luck.

“I think the Secret Service, through the director, has admitted that somebody who wasn’t on the list, who wasn’t waved in, was allowed into an event that clearly, he said, shouldn’t be,” said Gibbs to a question from CNN’s Ed Henry.

But what about the social office at the White House? Why weren’t they involved in the process at all, and why are they exempt from blame? It was a question raised, repeatedly, by April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks. “None of that relay happened between the Secret Service and the social office,” said Gibbs. “The relay didn’t happen because nobody picked up the phone to relay the information.”

But Gibbs assured he was not concerned for the safety of the President. As for why – no real answer was given. But he did tell Chip Reid of CBS News, “The reason there’s an investigation is because the President and the White House has asked for that to happen…The President is rightly concerned about what happened last week.”

So he’s concerned. But! “The President has faith in the Secret Service, always has, and that’s not about to change,” said Gibbs during the latter part of the questions from all corners of the briefing room.

That’s about all that was gleaned from the briefing today, before a frustrated Gibbs got the press corps to move on to other topics. But this is certainly not going away – and with the White House’s stubborn insistence their social office had no part in the mistake, the blame game continues.

Here’s the key part of the briefing today:

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party crashers, Robert Gibbs, Salahis, secret service, White House, White House crashers

ImNotBlue

But really… who else is there to blame? The Secret Service’s job it to protect the President… and they apparently let their guard down! There’s plenty to answer about this… but the security force at the White House, the people who are supposed to check out everyone who comes through the doors, should take the brunt of the blame.
Zakk

Funny, I thought for sure this was Bush’s fault…
TfT

Someone did say that Zakk (I can’t remember where, probably MSNBC tho)!

I did read that Spikey Mikey had a report in Newsweek that the individual who USED to (under the Bush WH) act as the RSVP checker and liaison at the entrance points quit her job in June because the new Social Secretary said those kind of services would no longer be required.

So, although the SS fell down on the job, the SS stands for secret service and social secretary.
ImNotBlue

Zakk says:
November 30, 2009 at 3:53 pm

TfT says:
November 30, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Nachi said it in an earlier post:

Nachi says:
November 26, 2009 at 2:37 pm
OMG. Even the security supposedly offered by the SS & the FBI have crashed and burned under the BushDrunk administration (s). No surprise there.

-and-

Nachi says:
November 27, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Just a lil reminder of the comptence installed by the BushDrunk anti-terror people. Look sharp! Feel sharp! BE sharp! Yup.

An impressive level of crazy, isn’t it?!
roxsteady

Yes, because as we all know it’s the job of the social secretary to protect the president. Actually, this was the Secret Service’s fault. They were given a list of names and a number to call if someone showed up but, was not on the list. The Secret Service stated that they did not call the number and instead, waved them through. As for the Whitehouse press corp, they’re mostly idiots. I’ll give you an example: When the President did those recent interviews with Jake Tapper, Chip Reid , Major Garrett, and several other reporters, several of them asked the President if he was going to read Palin’s book? Now, why would the President read a book written by someone with the mentality of a door stop? I was embarrassed for everyone who asked that stupid question. See, the President has a real job and the author quit hers.
ImNotBlue

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 4:17 pm

Now, why would the President read a book written by someone with the mentality of a door stop?

I feel the same way about your posts.
roxsteady

It’s odd that the press has basically stated that it’s the Social Secretary’s job to protect the president. It’s the blind leading the blind. I found April Ryan’s attempt to blame this on a change in procedures that the Bush administration had implemented to be hilarious! Does she really think that they’re record on protecting the president was stellar? What’s worse….allowing a couple to slip into the Whitehouse for a state dinner without any real attempt to hurt the president or, traveling with the president to another country where the Secret Service allows some nut job reporter to throw not, 1 but, 2 shoes before they had the chance to respond. After the first shoe, they should have leveled that guy. These “reporters”
roxsteady

To I’m not blue! I don’t really give a damn how you feel about my post. Why don’t you just skip reading them since they’re clearly over your head!
homie

“Funny, I thought for sure this was Bush’s fault…”

Of course it is: The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that falls under the United States Department of Homeland Security

Of course, it was not until Bush camE along
ImNotBlue

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm

Yes, insults and name calling… clearly “over my head.” Try “juvinile.”
ChrisNH

“…a frustrated Gibbs…” I’m telling you,Gibbs will be an elementary school teacher by this time next year. He’s clearly showing signs of snapping every time he’s called upon to answer the unanswerable. He’s sent out there as a Pinata, and the press will happily oblige…especially when the press is being turned into a Pinata, too. They figure that if they (the press) are getting hammered, they’ll make sure they take Gibbs with them.
roxsteady

ImNotBlue says:

Yes, insults and name calling… clearly “over my head.” Try “juvinile.”

Try degenerate! I should warn you that you’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m out of your league. If you wish to be verbally assualted, I’m happy to oblige! It’s clear that my analysis of the Bush shoe thrower really pissed you off. I’m glad!
roxsteady

Don’t worry about Gibbs. Go over to youtube and pull up Gibb’s verbal ass kicking of Sean Hannity. Face to face on his show, Gibbs essentially ate that porker’s face! He may seem mild mannered and soft spoken but, if you saw that clip it’s Hannity that you should worry about.
ImNotBlue

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 5:29 pm

I should warn you that you’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m out of your league. If you wish to be verbally assualted [SIC], I’m happy to oblige!

I cannot describe to you, how absolutely terrified I am of some anonymous nobody on a blog calling me names. Quite literally shaking in my boots.

Oh please, oh please, Mr/Mrs Roxsteady… don’t call me names. Don’t resort to childish insults and prove to everyone that your knowledge of the issues is non-existent, and that name calling is all you can do. Oh please, not that…

Wait… too late.

*PHEW* And I was really worried there for a moment.

It’s clear that my analysis of the Bush shoe thrower really pissed you off. I’m glad!

Actually, I thought your analysis was pretty much spot on. This isn’t a left/right issue… it’s a housekeeping issue for the Secret Service. They dropped the ball… but (as you pointed out) it’s not the first time. This story isn’t much for making a political buck on… not that some won’t try.

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 5:31 pm

Are you talking about the time when Gibbs tried to infer that Hannity was an anti-Semite because of someone he once interviewed? A position so blatantly preposterous (as pointed out by his co-host at the time, Alan Colmes… who is Jewish), and designed solely to ignore questions about Obama’s relationship with Rev. “He’s part of my family” Wright? That interview?

If you think that showed strength… well, then yes, Gibbs is your man. But back on planet Earth… we saw that as desperate, foolish, and offensive.
roxsteady

Desparete, foolish and offensive it may well have been. My point was that anyone who thinks Gibbs is a pansy is way off. The willingness of Gibbs to counter that idiot screaming over him by screaming back more offensive commentary. While many Dems go on faux news and allow that NYU dropout to intimidate them, Gibbs is not one of them. As for associations of the President, I couldn’t care less. I’m only interested in what comes out of the President’s mouth. Not some crazy ass preacher who doesn’t hold office.
roxsteady

What’s the matter? Are your problems further south of the border? I’m detecting shrinkage.
TfT

Gibbs, like his boss, is in complete denial…..on the role of the social secretary and the issues surrounding climategate.
roxsteady

Ugh! I didn’t realize this was a wingnut, teabagger site. I do now. Climategate?
ImNotBlue

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 6:17 pm

As for associations of the President, I couldn’t care less. I’m only interested in what comes out of the President’s mouth. Not some crazy ass preacher who doesn’t hold office.

If that was true, why’d you say this earlier today:

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 4:45 pm
And Palin is connected to that crazy witch doctor preacher and her skanky daughters sperm donar and his mom, the pill pusher now serving time! Just try to think about the hypocricy and you’ll be alright!

Is it a really blatant double standard, or are you lying?

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 6:19 pm

What’s the matter? Are your problems further south of the border? I’m detecting shrinkage.

Come on, Roxy… you can’t start off insulting me by going straight to penis jokes. You have to build to penis jokes… that’s not opening act stuff… that’s finally material! Come on, man… I can’t coach you through insulting me… I thought you were a pro.

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 6:31 pm

Yeah, those darn wingnuts… always reading and paying attention to inconvenient facts. Darn them! Why won’t they just fall in line?!
m

Maybe the Secret Service simply is overburdened. They’ve had a 300-400% increase in death threats since when Obama went into office.
ImNotBlue

m says:
November 30, 2009 at 7:05 pm

Evidence?
TfT

Rob Kessler on MSNBC is blaming Mary Cheney for the whole thing! LOL

Roxanne Roberts from the WAPO says she brought it to the attention of White House staffers who did NOTHING about them being “not on the list”. She is also on Hardball right now.

Failures all around. Chris actually brought up Desere Rogers name….uh oh.
roxsteady

I’M NOT BLUE!

Because I notice that many are still hung up on Rev. Wright and enjoy playing the association game with the President’s former crazy ass preacher but, have likely never heard of Palin’s crazy ass preacher. Oh, and it’s finale, not finally but, you kinow..I like to go big! As for Roxanne Roberts, I saw that interview and while I’m glad nothing happened she’s probably even happier. See, after she asked two of Mrs Obama’s staffers about the party crashers and they didn’t know why they weren’t on the list, she should have gone to the Secret Service. Isn’t that what reporters do? And it would have been some story. “Reporter Saves the President and Secret Service.” I’m not blaming her for any of this and I’m certainly not blaming the Whitehouse social secretary. I’m blaming the people who let them in. THE SECRET SERVICE!
m

Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5967942/Barack-Obama-faces-30-death-threats-a-day-stretching-US-Secret-Service.html

Article from the Conservative Telegraph, nonetheless.
roxsteady

Rob Kessler gave an interesting example of the lack of resolve by the Secret Service when Mary Cheney wanted the Secret Service to chauffeur her friends around to bars and restaurants. When he refused she had the Secret Service Agent removed from her detail. See, facts don’t have a counter weight. Either you have them or you don’t.
timzank

Anybody else out there think roxsteady is being paid to troll this site?
roxsteady

Actually, the Telegraph is a bit late on that news. I have to check but, I read recently that the levels had declined to the normal levels. Of course, you can’t account for lunatic saltines who are still annoyed that their party took an historic ass whupping by our current president! “Sour Grapes”
ImNotBlue

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 9:04 pm

Because I notice that many are still hung up on Rev. Wright and enjoy playing the association game with the President’s former crazy ass preacher but, have likely never heard of Palin’s crazy ass preacher.

So you DO think associations are relevant. If you didn’t you wouldn’t bring it up.

Oh, and it’s finale, not finally but, you kinow..I like to go big!

You know, I didn’t think it looked right, but spelling isn’t my thing. Ah well, thanks for the correction.

As for liking to go big… well, you were talking about my, well, you know… so I guess it makes sense. Ba-zing!

I’m blaming the people who let them in. THE SECRET SERVICE!

I think you’re getting really worked up over this… but most people already agree. I don’t think it deserves or requires the intensity you’re bringing to this.

m says:
November 30, 2009 at 9:07 pm

Thanks! An interesting article. There seems to be a number of reasons for the increase… but simply allowing the staff to get under supported, and poorly managed seems foolish too. The President should probably increase the SS’s staff to accommodate the different situation. It’s not an excuse to say, “Well, we’re a little understaffed right now.” This isn’t a 7-11… this is the President and face of the nation. Agree or disagree politically, but he must be safe and secure.

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 9:19 pm

Your racial slur aside (remember folks, calling white people “crackers” is acceptable, because there is a double standard)… I think you’re making assumptions about the facts. Where are the threats coming from? The article doesn’t say… Although, you do make a valid point about the article being from August. Perhaps things have changed…
roxsteady

No, I just believe in calling people what they are. They don’t want to accept him because of his race. It can’t be on policy. He hasn’t been in office long enough. Oh, and the saltine reference is from the movie Malibu’s Most Wanted. I have to go now but, I’ll leave you folks here to play with yourselves. I mean, each other. Nevermind!
roxsteady

Oh, and to the troll asking if I’m being paid by this site. But, thanks for the compliment!
roxsteady

No, I’m not! It probably just seems that way because I’ve been skillfully smacking you idiots down. Get used to it!
ImNotBlue

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 10:03 pm

No, I just believe in calling people what they are.

Yes, we’ve noticed. No matter how juvenile, nasty, or goofy… you’ll name call until the cows come home.

However, I’m not sure what you’re talking about here.

They don’t want to accept him because of his race. It can’t be on policy. He hasn’t been in office long enough.

I assume you mean “saltines,” or using the more offensive racial slur, “crackers” to refer to “White people.” So, and correct me if I’m not interpreting your particular brand of crazy correctly, you think that the only reason people object to Obama is because of his race. Hmmm… you say he hasn’t been in office long enough to, well… do anything?

He’s been in office almost a year… exactly how long do he need to accomplish something? What about the stimulus, what about what he’s trying to do with healthcare, what about dithering for 3 months before making a decision on Afghanistan, what about flying all over the world to talk to leaders, shake hands, take pictures, and accomplishing nothing… what about all those things? Can I criticize those things, without being a racist?

Boy, this whole “anyone who disagrees with Obama is a racist,” is sure getting old. We knew it would permeate the left as soon as he was nominated… but even I gave you guys more credit. I thought you’d occasionally try to debate policy… not use the excuse, “He hasn’t done anything.” Oh well, maybe this is the moment of consensus… both the left AND the right think he hasn’t done anything worthwhile in his first year.

Oh, and the saltine reference is from the movie Malibu’s Most Wanted.

Two quick points:
1) Perhaps you don’t understand what they were talking about then… it’s still a slur.
2) Ewww… Jamie Kennedy.

roxsteady says:
November 30, 2009 at 10:06 pm
No, I’m not! It probably just seems that way because I’ve been skillfully smacking you idiots down. Get used to it!

Actually, it seems that way because you post frequently, you don’t talk about the topic at hand, you use generic insults to “make your point,” and you post multiple times in the same thread just minutes apart from the previous post.

Oh, and one more question… “skillfully smacking you idiots down,” I’ve read a lot of your stuff today… and I’ve been commenting for quite awhile. However, this is new use of that particular phrase I’m not familiar with. You see, to me, that means you’ve won a debate or made a really strong argument… neither of which could or would describe anything you’ve done today. In fact, your main argument in this thread was to argue something that most people already agreed with (that the Secret Service was to blame). I don’t know if that’s something to hang my hat on… so I’m forced to assume you mean something else. Please clarify.
TfT

As more and more information comes out, the question of the day is: Will Desere go under the bus with Van Jones?????