White House Crashers Bankrupt, In Many Lawsuits

It comes as no surprise, really, that as more is learned about the couple who crashed the White House state dinner last Tuesday, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the more predictably sketchy the "aspiring reality stars" appear to be. According to an article posted on CNN.com, their primary business, a winery, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February. Documents filed in that matter indicate that many of the flashy possessions of these "northern Virginia socialites" have been repossessed, including a 2004 Aston Martin. They also state that the business has not filed any corporate income tax returns since 2005.

The couple are apparently also named in 16 civil lawsuits in Virginia, sometimes as plaintiffs and sometimes as defendants, including multiple lawsuits with Tareq's own parents, who used to be the owners of that same winery. And they have not yet paid some of the judgements levied against them in some of those cases.

On the NBC Nightly News, Brian Williams, who also attended the same state dinner, discussed his impressions of the couple. They caught his eye because, he explains, they had a make-up person and a camera following them, which he thought was very odd for the occasion. The 2 minute segment is embedded below:

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