'Party Crashers' Turn Down Invitation To Testify; Subpoena May Be Next

Enlarge image i

Congress wants to know how this happened.

Samantha Appleton/The White House/AP

Congress wants to know how this happened.

Samantha Appleton/The White House/AP

There's no question about whether they were or weren't invited to this function, but White House "party crashers" Tareq and Michaele Salahi say they won't be at today's Congressional hearing about how they got into last week's State Dinner at the White House without being invited.

According to their publicist, the couple has already spoken with the Secret Service and believes "there is nothing further that they can do to assist Congress in its inquiry regarding White House protocol and certain security procedures."

Now, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security says he may compel them to come speak to the lawmakers at some point.

"The Salahis' testimony is important to explain how a couple circumvented layers of security at the White House on the evening of a state dinner without causing alarm," Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, said in a statement released by his committee last night. "If the Salahis are absent from tomorrow's hearing, the committee is prepared to move forward with subpoenas to compel their appearance."

On CNN's American Morning a short time ago, Thompson said the committee will discuss today whether to subpoena the Virginia socialites.

Still coming to the hearing: Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan.

The session gets going at 10 a.m. ET and will be webcast here.

As we reported yesterday, the White House turned down the committee's invitation to Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, who has been under scrutiny for not having a member of her staff on hand at the entrance to the White House to help screen the arrivals.