VIDEO: Third White House Crasher Denies Wrongdoing
Jan. 11 2010, Published 10:12 a.m. ET
Carlos Allen says he's no party crasher: the third person implicated as a party crasher to a White House state dinner November 24, said he "was invited" to the lavish affair via invitation.
"I got an actual invite in the mail," Allen told Good Morning America on Monday, noting he was told to leave at two entrances, but wound up passing through as part of a convoy of Indian delegates.
Allen said he initially denied attending the dinner so as not to get caught up in the frenzy surrounding Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the alleged party-crashing couple who gained worldwide publicity after they were photographed with President Barack Obama.
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Allen said he also denied attending the party so as not to to "embarrass my president.
"I did not want to embarrass my administration," he said, "I did not want to embarrass my country."
Allen -- who has only been investigated, but not charged in connection with the incident -- was lawfully there, his attorney, A. Scott Bolden, told Good Morning America.
"It doesn't sound like Carlos Allen is a criminal trespasser," Bolden said. "It sounds like he's an invitee, and that's our position."