Gibbs Dismissed Press Briefing Questions About Rogers' Role in Crashergate
During the daily press briefing on Friday, December 4, 2009, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs chastised Apryl Ryan, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, when she questioned who authorized White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers into the guest list of the Administration's first state dinner (November 24, 2009). Rogers organizes White House events.
Party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi were allowed entrance to the state dinner without invitation, and now public officials and media are asking questions about why they gained entry.
All questions lead back to the White House and Rogers.
Gibbs first tried to dismiss Ryan's question and shield Rogers from questioning. When pushed, Gibbs dismissed answering the question with a wave of his hand. Ryan pushed again, saying she had a serious question. Gibbs told her to "calm down," adding "I do this with my son and he does the same thing."
"Was she at the dinner? Yes. She's the Social Secretary. She was the primary Secretary for running the dinner," Gibbs said, equating her presence as a guest with being the event manager.
But event managers don't make grand entrances or work from a guest table.