Thompson threatens subpoena for crashers after invite declined

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee threatened subpoenas late Wednesday for the couple accused of crashing a White House state dinner.

After Michaele and Tareq Salahi declined this evening an invitation to appear before the committee, its chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) threatened to compel their testimony.

"If the Salahis are absent from tomorrow’s hearing, the Committee is prepared to move forward with subpoenas to compel their appearance," Thompson said in a statement.

Thompson scheduled the hearing earlier this week into last week's state dinner, in which the Salahis, who are aspiring to careers in reality television, are said to have gained entry into the event without an invitation.

This evening, the Salahis, through a publicist, said they would not attend tomorrow's hearing, where U.S. Secret Service director Mark Sullivan is also scheduled to appear.

"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," Thompson said. "The Committee on Homeland Security must understand the full scope of what went so terribly wrong on Tuesday night to ensure that security gaps are sealed.  This can only be achieved by hearing both sides of the matter."

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