Salahis questioned for sneaking into White House dinner

As part of a broadening inquiry into presidential security,Secret Service agents have interviewed the Virginia couple who sneaked into...

As part of a broadening inquiry into presidential security,Secret Service agents have interviewed the Virginia couple who sneaked into a White House state dinner last week,a senior federal official said on Sunday.

The interviews on Friday and Saturday were conducted in a neutral location,neither the home of the couple,Michaele and Tareq Salahi,nor the Secret Services downtown offices,the official said. He would not comment on the content of the interviews or their length.

The agency is also examining its own procedures in light of the security lapse at the White House. Director Mark Sullivan testified in March that his agency was adapting to the Obama presidency,but he focused on how Obama was likely to draw larger crowds than his predecessor.

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Exactly how the Salahis infiltrated Obamas state dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India continued to preoccupy the capital,with no substantive details emerging.

The Secret Service is still considering bringing charges against the Salahis,the federal official said. There are more interviews to do, he said.

Ed Rollins,a Republican political operative,said Sunday that the Salahis should be prosecuted. They basically trespassed, Rollins said.

Secret Services Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting interviews in the case,and spokesman Jim Mackin said that it would be at least Wednesday before the Secret Service would have anything to say.