Again, the Desiree Rogers story continues.....
The White House says its social secretary will not testify at a congressional hearing into the security lapse that mistakenly allowed a couple into last week's state dinner.
Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that Desiree Rogers will not testify before the House Homeland Security Committee. The panel has scheduled a hearing Thursday and Rogers had been invited to testify. Gibbs cited the separation of powers and a history of White House staff not testifying before Congress.
The Secret Service has acknowledged that Michaele and Tareq Salahi got into the Nov. 24 dinner because its security procedures at a checkpoint were not followed. Rogers also has acknowledged that no one from her office was at the checkpoint to help identify guests.
This is the problem with Rogers, for DECADES the Social Secretary's office worked in TANDEM with the Secret Service in verifying guests at every entrance to the White House. Rogers needs to focus on doing her job and not worry about being in the society columns, social columns, fashion magazines, stop walking red carpets and being announced for any White House duties and stop trying to one up the First Lady. It took Robert Gibbs to tell her to get out of the picture with VOGUE magazine. I have never heard of a Social Secretary doing all that she is doing. In fact, the Social Secretary is to be invisible to the President and First Lady, but I guess she wants everyone to know who she is. Well, we certainly do NOW, after this major security breach.And this scathing piece on Rogers....
On the night of the Obamas' first state dinner, White House social secretary Desirée Rogers glided past the rope line of press and photographers at 6:53 p.m., pausing to boast, "We are very excited . . . everything looks great." Little did she know that the evening would end up tarnishing her vaunted reputation as an overachieving perfectionist.
[snip]
On Thursday, a House committee wants answers from her about how this could happen. A key question: Was anyone from Rogers's office staffing the front gate? Even though Secret Service has accepted full responsibility for the security lapse, Rogers also has indicated that none of her staff was present when the Salahis arrived. As a result, her managerial style is under scrutiny. And her Hollywood persona, fairly or unfairly, could prove to be the most damning evidence of all.
Rogers -- the point person for the high-profile, high-security, high-stakes diplomatic gala for the Indian prime minister -- was dressed in a pale peach gown from the avant-garde Japanese design house Comme des Garcons. It was the sort of attention-getting dress, with its translucent sleeves and strands of pearls encased in layers of tulle, that proclaimed the wearer a fashion savant.
"Just because she has this job, it's not going to make her a worker bee," says a friend who did not want to be identified in order not to offend. "She's glamorous."
Barack and Michelle Obama, she may be your very good friend, but not only does she need to step in the background and try to do her job, maybe, you should replace her with someone who KNOWS how to do the job.
From the White House on NEW procedures for State Dinners
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