White House Party Crashers Blame Dead Cell Phone

Copies of e-mails between White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi and a Pentagon official negates the couple's story that they were invited to Obama's first state dinner.

Salahis: We didn't crash the White House dinner

According to The Associated Press, who obtained the collection of emails, the Salahis pressed a Pentagon aide for four days to get tickets. But in an email, the couple said they showed up at the gates without an invitation "to just check in, in case it got approved since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list!"

On Tuesday's Today show, the Salahis said they had email proof that they were actually invited to the event.

The Secret Service, however, says they were not on the list and their entrance into the party was an error.

Secret Service apologizes for breach by White House party crashers

In an email sent to Pentagon official Michele Jones hours after last week's dinner, the Salahis claimed they did not hear Jones' voicemail earlier that day — which said they didn't make the guest list — because of a dead cell phone.

At 1 a.m. following the party, the Salahis emailed Jones saying their cell phone battery had died earlier in the evening so they had just received her voicemail message, but had gone to the White House anyway, according to the AP.

The Secret Service formally apologized Friday for the lapse in security after the uninvited guests made it into the event. The couple came face-to-face with President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and many others after sneaking past security.

White House party crashers shopping story to networks

Michaele is currently under consideration for the upcoming Real Housewives of D.C.