Did They or Didn't They?; "Crashing" As Crime
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No problem having thousands of brave soldiers give their lives in Iraq for corporate oil futures, spend millions an hour doing so, but how dare we want to take care of all Americans with a universal health care program?" June writes: "Both parties fail the purity test big time. Neither party ought to be trying to represent themselves as being free of the same moral failings many of us demonstrate. The Republicans should position themselves as the anti-Democrat Party, who will reverse course on tax and spend politics -- the course we are currently on." And Doyle in Canada writes: "Hell, no. That would be like me telling somebody else to lose weight." If you didn't see your e-mail here, you can go to my blog at CNN.com/caffertyfile.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Literature. We'll discuss.</s>CAFFERTY: Andre Agassi and Sarah Palin...</s>BLITZER: Literature.</s>CAFFERTY: ...number one on "The New York Times" best-seller lists.</s>BLITZER: Good for them. Good for them.</s>CAFFERTY: The problem is -- the other problem is there aren't a lot of people who can even read those books anymore. The public schools aren't doing their job...</s>BLITZER: Jack, thank you. To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Happening now, a major troop increase and a time line for ending the war in Afghanistan. President Obama revealing his plan to the nation tonight. His senior adviser, David Axelrod, is here in THE SITUATION ROOM. He'll be joining us this hour. We'll discuss what's going on. Also, Washington's most notorious party crashers breaking their silence, speaking out, insisting they were, in fact, invited to the White House state dinner. We've uncovered, though, a history of some behavior that they are denying. Stand by. Brian Todd all over this story. Plus, Tiger Woods getting a ticket, but no criminal charges, as officials close on the book on his mysterious car accident. Speculation, though, is producing some new twists and turns. Stand by. We have new information. What impact will it have on his billion dollar brand? I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. One thing is certain -- and it could be the only thing certain at this point -- Tareq and Michaele Salahi were, in fact, at the White House state dinner. Were they invited or was this simply a massive failure of White House security? CNN's Brian Todd has been digging deeper into Mr. and Mrs. Salahi, what appears to be their habit of just showing up -- Brian.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, that White House state dinner apparently is not the first time they've just shown up, according to officials of one prominent group here in Washington. Those officials have given us some information. And for the first time, we've heard the Salahis themselves speak about what happened at the White House.</s>TODD:  (voice-over): They say their lives have been destroyed, that they're shocked and devastated by the negative publicity they've gotten since their appearance last week at the first state dinner thrown by the Obamas. When Tareq and Michaele Salahi were asked by NBC's "Today Show" to address the White House's assertion that they were not invited, that they crashed the event, they were resolute. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TODAY SHOW," COURTESY NBC) MICHAELE SALAHI, ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE DINNER "CRASHER": Well, we were invited, not crashers. And there isn't anyone that would have the audacity or the poor behavior to do that.</s>TODD: But CNN has learned this isn't the first time the Salahis have gone to a high profile Washington event where questions were raised about whether they were invited. Officials at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation tell us the Salahis attended one of their major fundraising dinners in September, were asked to produce tickets and then were asked to leave when they couldn't. Pictures of them at the event with Congressman Charles Rangel and Patrick Kennedy are posted on the Salahis' Facebook page. President Obama was also there, but Foundation officials say he never mingled with the crowd and never interacted with the Salahis. Tareq Salahi told NBC this. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TODAY SHOW," COURTESY NBC) TAREQ SALAHI, ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE DINNER "CRASHER": Yes, we were invited. This is the first time I've ever heard, you know, another false accusation against my wife and I, saying that we weren't invited there. We were invited there by the Gardner Law Group.</s>TODD: Our calls and e-mail to Attorney Paul Gardner were not returned. The Salahis say they have e-mails to back up their claim that they were invited to the White House dinner. They haven't produced those e-mails or divulged their contents. A White House official tells us the e-mails are from Michele Jones, the Pentagon's liaison to the White House. Jones said in a statement: "I did not state at any time or imply that I had tickets for any portion of the evening's events. I specifically stated that they did not have tickets, and, in fact, that I did not have the authority to authorize attendance." The White House official tells CNN Jones left the Salahis a voice mail saying the same thing. Tareq Salahi's estranged brother, meanwhile, spoke to a CNN affiliate about the couple. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY WJXT) ISMAIL SALAHI, TAREQ SALAHI'S BROTHER: They're really into the whole media thing. And they love the attention and the press. And they've been trying to stay in the public eye for a long, long time.</s>TODD: Now, we've tried to get a response to that from the Salahis' media representative. We have not heard back yet. The Secret Service, meanwhile, is conducting a full investigation into the incident and the Salahis say they are fully cooperating. A Secret Service official told us this could lead to criminal charges, which could include trespassing or making false statements -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Here's the question a lot of people are asking, Brian. Should the White House social secretary's office have actually had some people at those checkpoints to check names, together with the Secret Service?</s>TODD: We know that's been the practice in previous administrations. The White House and Secret Service officials have told us that was not the plan this time, that it didn't need to be the plan. They say the Secret Service officers at those checkpoints had the guest lists and that the drill was to call the social secretary's office if there was any discrepancy and that the secretary's office would address that. But they say there was no call to the social secretary's office that night.</s>BLITZER: Lots of questions still remaining to be answered. Thank you, Brian. At least one White House official seems to be in no doubt about the Salahis. We're talking about the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs. Listen to this. (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TODAY SHOW," COURTESY NBC) ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: They were not on a list here at the White House. Their name was not in a security tower in order to get into this secure complex. And they had been told on a number of occasions that they did not have tickets for that dinner. The president and the Secret Service are rightly concerned about how this happened. I think this matter is continuing to be looked into criminally.</s>BLITZER: All right. Criminally -- you heard that word -- looked into criminally. So when things turn to possible criminal action, we always turn to our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. Is that a serious -- criminal charges could be filed against the Salahis?</s>JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. When you think about trespassing, there is no more important place where one might trespass than the White House. So if they went in there under false pretenses intentionally, trespassing is definitely a -- a possibility.</s>BLITZER: What about lying to a federal official?</s>TOOBIN: Well, again, that's where you get into the bizarre mystery of this story because, you know, you worked in the White House. I've been to the White House many times. It's a complicated process to get inside. You have you to give your name, your Social Security number, your date of birth. And there's always a list. And they don't let you go in just on the promise of, well, I -- I have an appointment inside. So, yes, it is true that the usual custom is to give information. And if that information is false, that could be a crime. But it just doesn't seem like any of the normal procedures were followed here.</s>BLITZER: But if they have some e-mail that may be a little murky from this Pentagon official saying, you know, maybe you should try it, you might not get in, but give it a shot -- I'm -- I'm just assuming that there is some sort of language in there, because they're -- they're insisting they do have some e-mail suggesting that they could go -- what would that do to all of the potential criminal charges?</s>TOOBIN: I think it would throw it out window. I think if they have some sort of official government sanction, whether it's from the Pentagon or the White House, that suggests they have a right to be inside, there's no way there could be any criminal charges. They've also said that they maybe have something from a Washington law firm. That wouldn't cut any ice. But if they had something from the Pentagon, they would -- I -- I think it wouldn't be appropriate that they was there -- they would be there, but I'm sure there would be no criminal charges.</s>BLITZER: You know, they're getting ready to host -- the Obamas -- thousands of people coming for the holiday parties over at the White House. There will be long lists of people who were invited -- members of Congress, members of the executive branch. Journalists will be invited. I assume that someone from the social secretary's office will join the Secret Service now in reviewing those lists in case, for example, Jack Cafferty were to show up or something like that.</s>TOOBIN: Well, that's a pretty far-fetched idea that Jack Cafferty would be allowed there under any circumstances.</s>CAFFERTY: You're absolutely right.</s>TOOBIN: But -- but, yes, in theory that's true, that would be -- no, but you can be sure that from now on, the rules are going to be enforced to the letter.</s>BLITZER: This was their first state dinner, Jack. So...</s>CAFFERTY: You know what they should be prosecuted for? For being annoying, because they are...</s>TOOBIN: Our...</s>CAFFERTY: ...to the nth degree.</s>TOOBIN: Our prisons are full enough. If that were a crime...</s>CAFFERTY: No. They should...</s>TOOBIN: ...imagine the...</s>CAFFERTY: They should put these people in jail for being annoying because they -- they have annoyed the hell out of me for three days.</s>BLITZER: Get ready. You're going to be hearing -- you know, they're testifying, supposedly, Thursday, before the House Homeland Security Committee.</s>CAFFERTY: Are we going to carry that live?</s>BLITZER: I don't know if we'll carry it live, but we're going to be speaking with the chairman of the committee...</s>TOOBIN: I have -- I have a guess about whether we're going to carry it live.</s>CAFFERTY: Me, too.</s>TOOBIN: But these decisions are above my pay grade.</s>BLITZER: All right. Take a look at this picture. You -- you're seeing some of those who are leaving the White House. I guess they just had their briefing from members of Congress. You see Robert Gates in the middle of your screen over there together -- I think that was Admiral Mullen walking by a long line of vehicles. They're getting ready to leave the White House. They briefed bipartisan members of Congress, the leadership of various committees in the House and the Senate. And the president will be heading over to Andrews Air Force Base to fly off to West Point and Upstate New York to deliver his big speech later tonight. So, that's a real news story we're covering.</s>CAFFERTY: I have another question.</s>BLITZER: Yes?</s>CAFFERTY: How is it that John McCain is out doing reaction to a speech that hasn't been given yet?</s>BLITZER: Because he wants to.</s>CAFFERTY: Well, but I mean this is -- isn't this like...</s>BLITZER: We know a lot of the details of what...</s>CAFFERTY: ...the cart leading the pony and...</s>BLITZER: We know a lot of details of what the president is going to say.</s>CAFFERTY: I mean you've got these politicians out grandstanding and give -- and holding gatherings in front of the cameras to react to a speech that the president hasn't even had a chance to give yet.</s>TOOBIN: Jack is shocked to see politicians grandstanding.</s>CAFFERTY: That's annoying, too. All right. Should we -- should I do this?</s>BLITZER: Please.</s>CAFFERTY: All right. This is a terrific story -- the hypocrisy of celebrities. It knows no bounds. "The London Times" has a terrific piece -- you can read it online -- called "Taking the Private Jet to Copenhagen." It's a reference to that upcoming international climate summit, at which probably nothing will be done. The report highlights actors, musicians, politicians and other so-called green celebrities who have fleets of jets, multiple homes and on and on and on. These people leave carbon footprints as they travel through their lives that would put a dinosaur to shame. For example, John Travolta has five private jets, including a Boeing 707. He once flew to London on one of his private airplanes to tell the British people they should fight against global warming. Harrison Ford used to own a Gulfstream jet. He now makes due with a smaller Cessna Citation Sovereign eight seat jet and four propeller airplanes and a helicopter. Oprah Winfrey, who preaches about being environmentally friendly on her TV show, traveled in a 13 seat Gulfstream jet for years -- until she replaced it with a bigger, faster Bombardier Global Express. Tom Cruise has five airplanes, including a customized Gulfstream jet. And as for the king of global warming preachers, the former vice president, Al Gore, it's estimated his Tennessee mansion uses 20 times the amount of electricity of an average American home. He spends $500 a month just heating his indoor swimming pool. Meanwhile, recent owners of gas guzzling SUVs include Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbara Streisand and Cameron Diaz. All of the above-mentioned people are active to a greater or lesser degree in urging the rest of us to fight global warming. And that's the question: Why do celebrities who travel around in private jets want to tell the rest of us how to save the environment? Go to CNN.com/caffertyfile and have some fun.</s>BLITZER: And they will.</s>CAFFERTY: And they will.</s>BLITZER: Thank you. Private jet, commercial...</s>CAFFERTY: You travel on a private jet, don't you?</s>BLITZER: No, but I'd like to.</s>CAFFERTY: Boy, I wish I could.</s>TOOBIN: I think you can get by with only three jets.</s>CAFFERTY: That's enough.</s>TOOBIN: I think three is enough.</s>CAFFERTY: A couple in the shop for repairs.</s>TOOBIN: Exactly. Right.</s>CAFFERTY: And that leaves you one.</s>CAFFERTY: That should be sufficient.</s>TOOBIN: Five seems excessive to me.</s>BLITZER: Guys, thanks very much. We're standing by, by the way, for the first excerpts from President Obama's important speech later tonight -- a preview of what he'll tell the nation about his plan to try to win the war in Afghanistan. Stand by for that. We're also going to be talking about the plan and the risks involved. The president's senior adviser, David Axelrod, he's standing by to join us live. We have some questions for him. And Tiger Woods' endorsement deals are worth hundreds -- hundreds of millions of dollars. Is this silence on his mysterious car wreck putting those deals in jeopardy?