White House Tourists Wind Up at Obama Breakfast: White House Admits They Snag Tourists to Fill Empty Seats at Rose Garden Ceremonies, East Room Events
| Clarification: The White House never said it “invited” the Dardens. We are working on an update later today. Sorry for any confusion. |
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Update: According to the White House the Dardens were “allowed” to attend the Obama Breakfast in the East Room on Veterans Day because the Dardens were already “vetted”, and, that because Darden was a veteran, the White House let the Dardens stay as a “courtesy”. The White House also stated it wasn’t unusual to snag people on tours, for Rose Garden and East Room events, to “fill empty spaces”. Even so, the Dardens, who had mistakenly arrived at the White House a day early, were let into the White House even though there were no scheduled tours that day. Given the popularity of the most popular president on the planet, we wonder why there’s a need to “fill empty spaces” at Obama White House events, and, why none of the so-called “lucky” tour people tapped to attend an event which included Obama, have never bragged to someone, anyone, that they’d gotten the chance the “rub” shoulders with the President while on a tour. The Salahis don’t apply as they weren’t on a tour, and, didn’t have an invitation. We also wonder when the AP learned about the Dardens, and, from whom? The Dardens stated they were “surprised” at the White House’s “explanation” at what occurred, nor had the Dardens “gone public” prior to the AP article on their accidental tourist Veterans Day Breakfast with the President.  White House, Secret Service Tale’s on Accidental Tourists Attending Obama Breakfast Doesn’t Add Up White House Admits They Snag Tourists to Fill Empty Seats at Obama Rose Garden Ceremonies, East Room Events
We have to admit, we’re simply amazed at the latest AP “Accidental Tourists” wind up at Obama East Room Breakfast story. Amazed at the “story” the Secret Service and the White House are trying to “spin” as to “how” and “why” a Georgia couple, who showed up on the wrong day for a tour, ended up at an invitation only breakfast event in the East Room attended by President Obama and First Lady Michelle. We’re also amazed at what the White House admitted to the AP, that the White House “snags” tourists for empty seats at Rose Garden and East Room events. The incident occurred two weeks before the Salahi “Gatecrasher” incident at the India State Dinner Party. Even so, the AP didn’t report the Accidental Tourist story until now. According to the AP, a Georgia couple showed up a day early for a tour, and since there were no scheduled tours that day, and, since the couple had gone through the “appropriate security screenings”, the White House, “as a gesture”, invited the couple to attend a breakfast with President Obama. According to the Dardens, the White House and Secret Service “explanation” was “news” to them as they were never told about the breakfast. The Dardens claim that when they arrived at the White House “security officials working from a list of names” began “letting people inside”. When the couple was told their names “weren’t on the list”, they were asked to present photo identification and “other information”. After waiting for their information to be checked, they were allowed in. The Dardens, who still believed they were beginning a “tour”, were “ushered” into the East Room. The “nervous” couple cornered an aide who was “mingling with guests”. When Harvey Darden, 67, told the aide he didn’t think this “was part of the White House tour”, the aide told them it was “invitation event for veterans”. The aide purportedly asked Darden if he was veteran. After Darden told the aide he was a Navy veteran, the aide then “suggested” the Darden’s “stay” at the event. Here’s why the White House “explanation” is “interesting”: According to the AP, the White House stated that because the couple had passed Secret Service “vetting”, they were then “allowed” to attend the breakfast as a “nice gesture”. What’s missing from the AP article: What the Darden’s told the “security officials” when they arrived at the White House. We can only assume the Darden’s told the officials they were there for a “tour”. Common sense would dictate that: 1. Due to the number of people who show up at the White House, “security” officials would have information on current scheduled tours and events, and, would have accessed that information, then directed the couple to “return” the following day. According to the White House, the couple was “vetted” before the couple was “extended” the “courtesy” of attending the East Room event with Obama:
Why would the Secret Service “vet” someone who, 1) Didn’t have an invitation, and, 2) Had arrived on the wrong day for a tour? We wondered, is it “common practice” of the Secret Service to “vet” someone without seeking the reason as to why they were at the White House? Which, in this case, seemed to occur? Wouldn’t common sense dictate that the Secret Service would have directed the Dardens to return the next day for their scheduled tour? Even more amazing, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro stated “it wasn’t unusual” to “take people who are cleared in for tours to other events if there is space, including Marine One arrivals, East Room events and Rose Garden ceremonies. Aside from the fact that the Dardens were “cleared in” for tour that wasn’t scheduled until the next day, We wondered, if this has occurred, why haven’t we heard from any of the “lucky” tour people who were tapped on the spur of the moment by the White House to attend an event with the President? You’d think there be someone, somewhere, who, like the Salahis, posted their account in Facebook-this was how the Secret Service discovered the Salahis had crashed the Indian State Dinner. Or, why hadn’t the lucky tour people mentioned it to their local press, or bragged to someone, anyone, that they’d been on a tour and wound up in the Rose Garden or the East Room and rubbed shoulders with Obama? The accidental tourist incident mimics the Salahi Gatecrasher incident. In the Salahi incident, the Secret Service has stated it didn’t follow “proper procedures” to determine if the Salahis were on the guest list for the State Dinner. In the case of the Dardens, it’s obvious that the SS didn’t follow proper procedures as the Dardens weren’t claiming they had an invitation to the East Room Breakfast event with Obama, instead, they were there for a tour. Even so, they were allowed in, without an invitation, and, without a scheduled tour. The White House claimed they “invited” the Dardens to attend the breakfast as a “nice gesture”, in part, due to the Darden’s already been “vetted” by the Secret Service. According to the Darden’s, they weren’t “invited”, instead, they were told to “go with the flow”:
Based on just the Salahi and Darden incidents, we can’t help but wonder who is running the security at the White House? The professionals in the Secret Service? Or, the amateurs on the White House staff? In the Salahi case, the White House has stated it won’t allow any of its staff to testify at any Congressional hearings regarding the matter. A “what happens with the White House staff, stays with the White House staff”. In the Darden case, the White House has stated they “extended” an “invitation” after the Darden’s were “vetted”. Based on the Darden’s account, it’s apparent that the Dardens were vetted without being invited, then, never invited after being vetted, and, that they weren’t one of the “lucky” tour people snagged to fill an “empty” space at an Obama event held at the Rose Garden or East Room. Instead, they “lucked out”, being at the right place, at the wrong time, then, told to “go with the flow”. By LBG 
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