White House crashers Salahis invoke Fifth Amendment; refuse to testify in Congress

Washington, Jan.21 (ANI): Tareq Salahi and his wife Michaele, the couple who gate-crashed a White House state banquet for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November last year, invoked the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution and refused to answer any questions put forward to them by a House of Representatives panel on Wednesday.

"On advice of counsel, I respectfully reserve my right to remain silent," Tareq Salahi said repeatedly in response to questions from the members of the House Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the New York Post reported.

In a prepared statement delivered in-person, Salahi said he and his wife Michaele offered for their lawyers to meet with the committee's staff. He added that he would not address reports that the November 24 incident was related to a U.S. reality television show, noting that he was "under a non-disclosure agreement."

The Salahis' decision elicited a strong reaction from some members of the committee, some of whom condemned the non-testimony.

"The Constitution protects fools, the Constitution protects stupidity, the Constitution protects errant thought," excoriated Representative Daniel Lungren (R-CA). "Thank god it does." (ANI)