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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Who Else Helped Maurice Clemmons?; Salahi E-mails Revealed
Aired December 02, 2009 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, the Tiger Woods bombshell. We now have the infamous voice mail allegedly sent from Tiger to a woman who claims to be his mistress. The billionaire golfer`s supposedly on tape begging this woman to help him, apparently to avoid being busted by his suspicious wife. This woman is a cocktail waitress and a former reality TV contestant from VH-1`s "Tool Academy."
Tiger has admitted transgressions, but is this just the tip of the iceberg? "Us Weekly" now claims they have sexual text messages from Tiger, asking for dirty pictures. Is it unrealistic to expect super-rich, super- successful athletes to stay faithful on the road?
Plus, explosive new developments in the case of the White House party crasher scandal. The Salahis have now released a stack of e-mails they say prove their innocence. There`s just one problem. There`s no proof they were ever really invited. The e-mails reveal a couple hell-bent on getting into this dinner, even claiming their phone went dead when a government official apparently called them and told them they weren`t invited. Are you buying any of this? We`ll talk to the experts.
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the Tiger Woods domestic drama is now a full-blown sex scandal. Another alleged mistress has emerged, claiming she`s got proof of her affair with the billionaire golfer.
The 24-year-old waitress told "Us Weekly" that she and Tiger had an affair that lasted almost three years. Jaimee Grubbs was a contestant on the VH-1 reality show "Tool Academy." She says Tiger sent her hundreds of naughty text messages.
Grubbs also dropped this bombshell, a voice mail she claims Tiger left her just last week. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Hey, it`s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and -- what do you call it? -- just have it as a number on the voicemail. Just have it as your telephone number. That`s it. OK? You`ve got to do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Huge. Quickly. CNN has not confirmed that`s Tiger`s voice, but it appears he is now publicly acknowledging his infidelity. In a news statement today, he wrote, "I have let my family down, and I regret those transactions and those transgressions with all my heart."
Now, you may be a little confused by the sharp turn in this scandal. OK. Let`s keep track.
Yesterday, we were talking about this woman in the sunglasses. She`s Rachel Uchitel. She denied the "National Enquirer" report that she had an affair with Tiger, but now, a sharp left turn, Jaimee Grubbs is at the center of the storm, a different woman.
Is this just the tip of the iceberg? I want to hear from you about this scandal. Should we even care? Do we have a right to ask questions or not? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.
Now, straight out to my fantastic expert panel: Carlos Diaz, correspondent for "Extra." We need a man on this panel to defend the males. Lisa Guerrero, special correspondent for "Inside Edition," who has rubbed elbows with many superstar athletes as a famous sidelines reporter. And Dr. Argie Allen, family and marriage therapist. Thank you so much for joining us. CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom, whose mom, attorney Gloria Allred, is representing Rachel Uchitel. Wow. We`ve got quite a panel, don`t we?
But we begin with Natalie Thomas, deputy news editor of "Us Weekly."
Natalie, you broke the Jaimee Grubbs story on your cover so tell us, what`s Jaimee claiming about her alleged relationship with Tiger? I mean, we`re hearing things like 300 text messages?
NATALIE THOMAS, DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Yes, Jane. She claims to have 300 text messages. We`ve seen a lot of these text messages that will be revealed in the coming days. They`re very racy, very graphic between her and Tiger.
And as we heard in the opening, we also have a voice mail from Tiger kind of scrambling at the last moment, telling her to take her name off of her phone because his wife will be calling.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why did she decide to speak out?
THOMAS: I think she got upset. All of these women that we`re hearing from now believed, believe it or not, that they were the only woman other than his wife, and so when she heard about this Rachel Uchitel woman, she was upset. She thought that they had a -- crazy as it may sound, she thought that they had, you know, a one-on-one relationship, and the only other woman in his life was his wife. And she was very upset.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. Let`s learn more about this cocktail waitress and the alleged Tiger mistress. Jaimee Grubbs, she appeared on the VH-1 reality show "Tool Academy." Wow, what a title there. Taking a shot at a boyfriend who ditched her. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIMEE GRUBBS, CLAIMS AFFAIR WITH TIGER WOODS: He literally said that he almost thought about killing himself to leave her, because she was so psycho and he didn`t know how to do it.
And then, like, to be, like, blind-sided and slapped in the face (EXPLETIVE DELETED), and they`re still dating is (EXPLETIVE DELETED). No amount of money or no amount of counseling would ever keep me staying here. I have enough dignity and respect for myself to not even give him a chance. He does not deserve that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Carlos Diaz, you are immersed in Hollywood. If there`s anyone a privacy-obsessed sports star should stay away from, isn`t it a reality-show contestant? I mean, by virtue of going on a reality show, aren`t you proving that you are set on getting attention? So isn`t this precisely the type of person who is more likely than others to kiss and tell?
CARLOS DIAZ, CORRESPONDENT, "EXTRA": Yes. I had the distinct privilege of watching "Tool Academy" a few times. It makes "Survivor" look like "Citizen Kane." It is the -- it is the trashiest of the white trash. It`s amazing to watch that show.
But, you know, the crazy thing is, no matter how many billions of dollars you`re worth -- and Tiger Woods is, in fact, the first ever billionaire athlete -- no matter how much you`re worth, if you`re going to cheat, you`re still going to cheat with the same kind of classless woman that would cheat -- would knowingly get into a relationship with a married man.
So it doesn`t matter if you`ve got millions, if you`re going to pick out a girl like that, then you know, you kind of get what you -- you deserve what you get, in other words. And that`s what Tiger Woods allegedly got himself into.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How about not cheating?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s the thing, too.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: How about not cheating at all?
DIAZ: You know what, though? Let me -- that`s a very good point, but let me just say this, OK? Having -- having worked in sports journalism and having worked in the entertainment industry, and having been the son of a - - my dad was a baseball agent when I was growing up, I would say 90 percent of athletes cheat on their wives or their girlfriends.
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, then they shouldn`t get married. Let them be single. Let them philander and have all their fun but when you have a pregnant wife...
DIAZ: Don`t kill the messenger here. Don`t kill the messenger. All I`m doing is giving you the -- and I`m not making excuses for them. I`m not making excuses for athletes at all. But what I`m saying to you is athletes are told to be competitive their entire life, and they cannot turn it off when they get off the field, the court or the golf course.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, boo hoo hoo.
DIAZ: It`s not possible. I`m not condoning their behavior. I`m not condoning their behavior. I`m giving the facts.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Must pull out the gavel.
Lisa Guerrero, you rubbed elbows many, many times with these sports superstars as a sidelines reporter. Do they have a sense -- everybody`s telling them, "Your wish is my command." They are -- don`t they become terminally unique? Don`t they sort of, by nature of the way everybody treats them, feel that somehow feel the rules don`t apply to them? And then women constantly coming up at them and hitting on them and hitting on them? I mean, as one movie star joked, "I don`t really want to have sex every half an hour."
LISA GUERRERO, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Right. Well, I`m kind of coming to this story from two different perspectives. No. 1, as a sports reporter, and No. 2, as a woman who married a baseball star. My husband is Scott Erickson, who is featured in "People`s" most beautiful list, so I really have...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s hot.
GUERRERO: He`s very hot. So I really sympathize with the wives` perspective here.
And with Scott and I, he made a really smart decision. In his 20s and early 30s, he played the field. He dated models. You know, he went to probably a couple strip clubs in his day. But when he was ready to get married in his late 30s, he married me. And I was also in my late 30s, so he waited a long time.
So that`s kind of why I don`t understand when the Kobe Bryants of the world and the Alex Rodriguezes of the world get married so young and then cheat on their wives. They drag their families through this muck. What I say is just don`t get married until, you know, close to the end of your career.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Argie Allen, you`re the relationship expert. I agree. I mean, nobody is saying that, oh, we have to not live a certain way. But when you get married, you take a vow, and you`re a sports star who sells your image and makes millions off of that family-man, clean-cut image, that`s where the problem happens.
ARGIE ALLEN, FAMILY AND MARRIAGE THERAPIST: Yes. That`s the problem, Jane.
But I have to say as a family therapist and working with couples every day, people don`t always go into a marriage intending to cheat. And I disagree with Carlos a little bit there, where he says that 90 percent of athletes or persons, of males cheat. I think their intention is perhaps to be committed to their relationship.
DIAZ: I didn`t say that. I didn`t say that. I said athletes, specifically athletes. Not males. Athletes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know what you`re talking about.
ALLEN: Why athletes, Carlos?
DIAZ: OK. Because -- because we`ve seen it time and time again, and you touched upon this. Athletes are given whatever they want. They are told that they are privileged from the age of now it gets younger every year. Now you have kids in middle school who are being -- even being recruited by colleges already. They are given the red carpet treatment their entire lives. And then once again, when they`re competitive on the field, they`re competitive in the clubs, as well.
We`re just getting started on this story. Hang on. Hold it in. Because we`re going to come back in a second. More on the Tiger Woods soap opera in just a moment. We`re taking your calls on all this. Do we have a right to care? 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Plus, how did those kooky Salahis crash a party at the White House? They insist it was all a big mistake: "Oh, no, no, no, we were invited." They have plenty of excuses, including tales of a dead cell phone. Are you buying any of it?
But first, Tiger Woods has been the model athlete. He has kept his nose squeaky clean. He was viewed as the model family man. How has that changed? Could he lose endorsements and fans?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: He wins the master`s in April, no one will think two seconds about this. I mean, athletes fundamentally are about winning. And Alex Rodriguez, you know, he admitted taking steroids, but he was on a ticker tape parade a few weeks ago here in New York because he won.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: He had a car accident. What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED)? You guys are the news. You`re supposed to -- you`re supposed to report the news. A guy crashed his car. You`re making up (EXPLETIVE DELETED). So are you reporting the news or are you making the news?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re asking how do you think he should handle it? He hasn`t said...
ROCK: Handle what? He crashed his car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he said that it`s a private matter and he -- and he...
ROCK: If I crashed my car on my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) property, it`s a private matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was Chris Rock, unloading on the media on Monday before the latest bombshells in the Tiger Woods scandal.
For days, this story was basically a bizarre Thanksgiving night car crash. Now a new audiotape has ignited a firestorm of controversy over alleged affairs.
Back to my truly fabulous panel.
Do we right -- have a right to care? I say yes, because we live in a consumer society where we put a price tag on everything. Tiger doesn`t just sell his golf abilities. He sells his clean-cut image as a super successful husband and father, whereas he makes millions off his image, wherefore his image is a legitimate subject of scrutiny.
If you want nobody snooping around, don`t take many millions of dollars in product endorsement. That`s my opinion, anyway.
Let`s go to the phones. Roselyn, Maryland, your question or thought, ma`am?
CALLER: My thought in this situation is that it`s no one`s business what Tiger does when it comes to his family. It`s just his concern and his family. He needs to handle it at home and at his privacy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I would agree with you, except for the fact, and I`ll throw this out to Natalie Thomas, because you`re the one who broke the story, is that he`s getting many -- he`s a billionaire. He`s the richest athlete, he`s the most successful athlete, he makes tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars in product endorsements, and they`re all based on his squeaky-clean image.
If he was a guy who was known to be doing whatever -- I`ll mention some bad things that he`s never been known to do, you know, whatever, alcohol, drugs, who knows -- he wouldn`t get those endorsement deals.
THOMAS: Absolutely. I mean, he made more in endorsements than he has on the golf course. So you better believe the second that Nike and all these big corporations are signing him, there is a morality clause in there, and there is a role model clause in there.
And he has a responsibility to his many fans and to -- he`s a business. You know, his whole corporation, his whole image is a business. And he has to answer to not only the business people but his fan, as well as his wife.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. "National Enquirer reported last week that Tiger had an affair with New York night club hostess Rachel Uchitel. The brunette stunner told the "Post," quote, "It`s not true, not a word of it." Uchitel says she only met Tiger.
Still, she`s getting hounded by the paparazzi. There you see her dramatically going through the airport. She`s wearing sunglasses. Now, she decided to hire famed attorney Gloria Allred. Now, she and Tiger both deny the affair.
Are their denials enough to put the scandal to rest, given that some news outlets are reporting claims that they did, in fact, have an affair?
I don`t know, but Lisa Bloom, your mom is the famed attorney Gloria Allred. So she can`t be here. You can weigh in for her.
BLOOM: Well, if I had a nickel for every media outlet that is trying to get the real story from me right now about what my mom`s doing with Rachel Uchitel, I could retire.
Look, they`re not giving any public statements. My mother is saying "no comment" to everybody in the press, and that includes me.
But I will tell you this. I know my mom, and if the story is just they didn`t have an affair, period, the end, there`s no reason for my mom to be involved. That wouldn`t make any sense. So there`s got to be more to the story. That`s all I can tell you.
I don`t know what it is, but if my mom`s taking this on out of the thousands of calls she gets for representation every week, there`s got to be more to the story. And all I can tell you is stay tuned, just like I am, waiting with baited breath to find out what the rest of the story is.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa, that was a great tease. That was a great tease.
Here`s my big issue. Are Tiger`s latest admissions too little, too late? His initial statement following his car crash was basically this vague denial of problems at home. Now he`s confessing to, quote, "personal sins."
Here`s TNT golf analyst Jim Huber.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM HUBER, TNT GOLF ANALYST: If he had come out, say, the Monday after the accident or whatever, acknowledged his problems and said, "I`ll try to do better. Please leave us alone to settle our problems within our own circle," then I think things would have not gotten to this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Carlos Diaz, did he handle this badly? Or is it impossible for us to really say, given that we still don`t know the depth of this scandal?
DIAZ: You know, I think if he would have gotten in front of the story a little bit quicker, it would have lessened the blow a little bit.
But I tell you, man, when you hear that voice message and, like I said, we have not confirmed that it`s Tiger, but it says, "Hey, this is Tiger," on the voice message. When you hear that, that right there is the biggest damning piece of evidence that can be out there.
And there is no denying -- no amount of him getting in front of the story on Monday could have stopped the shock of that coming out on Wednesday. And that would have come out today regardless if Tiger had been in front of the story or not.
But he did mishandle it a little bit by not being a little more proactive on Monday or even Saturday or Sunday, trying to kind of, you know -- now when he says, "We need our privacy," it`s kind of like he`s kind of maybe trying to play catch-up a little bit.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Natalie Thomas, you`re the deputy news editor of "Us Weekly" that`s been on top of this story. Is this the tip of the iceberg?
THOMAS: Unfortunately, no. I think we`re going to see a lot more to come. As we know, you know, there`s safety in numbers, so we`ve been hearing that he`s been doing this for years, but no one`s really come forward. And now that one person and now the second person has come forward. We`re having tons and tons of people coming out of the woodwork.
So I think this is -- this is only the start of it. I think, unfortunately for his wife and all of his fans, we`re going to see a lot more to come.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we can`t confirm any of that, but Lisa Guerrero, what happens now to all the endorsements? At this point, they`re sticking with him. He`s raked in $105 million. Could this hurt his ability to get endorsements and keep endorsements?
GUERRERO: Absolutely not. This is what he should do. He should do exactly what Kobe Bryant did when Kobe Bryant was caught cheating on his wife, Vanessa. They came out together during a press conference. She was sitting by his side, supporting him.
Then you know what he did? Bought her a big old honking ring. He stayed out of the media for a long time. He put his head down. He focused on basketball, and look at him now. He`s got another championship ring.
BLOOM: Guess what? What if his wife doesn`t want to sit by him, humiliate herself that way?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold it. We`re going to talk about Kobe in a second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CODY GRUBBS, BROTHER OF WOODS` ALLEGED MISTRESS: My mom`s not going to talk. You`re not going to get any information.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we get confirmation on the story?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was the brother of Jaimee Grubbs, alleged mistress of Tiger Woods. You know, there`s no better example, as Lisa Guerrero was saying, of how a sex scandal can get out of hand than the Kobe Bryant case.
2003, the Lakers star was charged with sexual assault, and the case was later dropped, but not before he dragged his wife out during a news conference about it all. Remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOBE BRYANT, NBA STAR: Furious at myself. Disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery. I`m so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Carlos Diaz, Tiger`s case is completely different because there`s been no accusation of a crime, but TMZ says Tiger told a friend, quote, "I have to run to Zale`s to get a Kobe special, which is supposedly a house on a finger," which one of the younger staffers had to explain to me. That means a ring so expensive that you could actually buy a house with what you pay for the ring.
DIAZ: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s kind of cold, too, if that`s true.
DIAZ: If that`s true. But I mean, here`s the bottom line. What was the No. 1 selling jersey in the NBA stores all over the country last year? It was the Kobe Bryant jersey. OK? No joke, seriously.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
DIAZ: That`s the thing. Kobe recovered from that. Tiger will recover from this.
But what we need is, and I`m not saying that -- you`re right, whoever made the point before we went to break that, you know, why does Elin have to be, you know, drug into this? Why does she have to sit at a podium with him? I agree with that.
BLOOM: Thank you.
DIAZ: But Tiger does need to sit at a podium at some point. Keep in mind -- keep in mind, though, if his face is as cut up and bruised as he said -- you know, he dropped out of his golf tournament this week because he says he`s very sore. So if his face is cut up and bruised, not the best time to get in front of a camera.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, it`s true.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jane...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Chris, Arizona, your question or thought?
CALLER: Yes. I guess I`m old school. My husband and I have been married for 30 years.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Congratulations.
CALLER: And I am just so sick of listening to all these athletic people making millions of dollars, and they turn around and cheat on his wife.
ALLEN: Thank you.
CALLER: You know, that blond, what she should do, she should take his money and take the kids and run.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Woo! All right. Lisa Bloom. Lisa Bloom.
BLOOM: Jane, you know, let`s call this what it is. This is abject cruelty to his wife, because according to this new woman, he was cheating on her while she was pregnant, at the time that she had a newborn baby. I mean, for a period of years.
This is not only cruel; it`s incredibly stupid. Does the guy have the I.Q. of a golf ball? You cheat with a cocktail waitress who holds on to all the text messages and all the e-mails so that she can sell them at the most opportune time, which is right now. Of course that`s what she`s going to do when she`s fooling around with a billionaire. I mean, this guy blows my mind for how dumb and how cruel he is.
ALLEN: You know what, Jane, I have to -- I have to say, I think that we as a culture are very, very unforgiving when it comes to any kind of transgression. And I know what Carlos was saying about the athletes and what they have to contend with and the fact that, in some ways, they`re not ready for marriage at that early age. But what one of us has not done something that we do not need?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Exactly. I agree with you. Those who have never cheated, raise their hand. We have to see the panel. We have to see the panel for that. You don`t see my hands going up.
BLOOM: On a marriage?
ALLEN: We`ve got to also realize that couples...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have to leave it right there. We`re out of time. But fabulous discussion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Explosive new developments in the case of the White House party crashers scandal. The Salahis have now released a stack of e- mails they say prove their innocence. There`s just one problem. There`s no proof they were ever really invited.
The e-mails reveal a couple hell-bent on getting into this dinner. Even claiming their phone went dead when a government official apparently called them and told them they weren`t invited. Are you buying any of this? We`ll talk to the experts.
Tonight, explosive new developments involving the D.C. party crashers, who claim they were invited to the White House. Now they have produced this slew of e-mails to try and prove it. We have an ISSUES SPECIAL INVESTIGATION.
But first, "Top of the Block": accused cop assassin Maurice Clemmons was on the run for two days before he was finally caught, shot and killed early yesterday morning. Police say he was on a mission to kill police officers when he gunned down four cops who were simply sitting at a coffee shop in Washington State on Sunday.
Cops now say Clemmons bragged to his friends words to the effect of, "Watch the TV, I`m going to go kill some cops" and even showed these friends a bunch of guns.
Cops say after the massacre, some of those very friends then helped Clemmons run from the law. Also a female relative bandaged the gunshot wound he got during Sunday`s shooting spree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LINQUIST, PROSECUTOR, PIERCE COUNTY, WASHINGTON: We are all relieved to have Maurice Clemmons off the street but there is still work to be done here. We are not going to rest until everyone involved in this murder in any way is brought to justice. When you help a criminal, you become a criminal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And tonight, the roundup continues as investigators track down friends and family members. Travis Mayfield, reporter with KOMO News Radio joins me by phone.
Travis, you`re on top of this story. What is the very latest?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS MAYFIELD, REPORTER, KOMO NEWS RADIO (via telephone): ... police after Sunday morning`s shooting spree, two of those people, two men have been charged so far, two women in custody as well.
There is a getaway -- possible getaway driver, Darcus Allen who is in custody right now who investigators are talking to. He could be facing murder charges when charges come.
One other new development today, the governor here in Washington State says she is no longer allowing criminals on parole from Arkansas into our state until they can figure out what`s going on in Arkansas.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is there any possible innocent explanation for the behavior of some of these alleged co-conspirators? Is it possible they didn`t know that he had shot four cops when they decided to offer him some assistance?
MAYFIELD: I think, Jane, that`s why police are being so careful in this and not rolling out charges until they absolutely have the proof they can bring to court. They want to question as many people as possible, talk to as many people as possible, and put all of this together so they are charging every person that they believe is involved and who should be charged.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course, we had a niece of the suspected shooter, the niece of this man -- this man, of course, suspected of shooting, gunning down four law enforcement officers who were simply minding their own business at a coffee shop. He in turn has been shot and killed.
And she said don`t blame us -- she was very dramatic yesterday, crying and almost screaming -- "I didn`t do this, I didn`t know he was going to do this. If I thought he was going to do this, I would try to stop him."
Is there a sense some of these relatives did not know and they shouldn`t be swept up in this roundup of relatives and friends?
MAYFIELD: I will tell you that one of our local papers has an interview with a relative who lives back in Arkansas, for example, who works in the criminal justice system. So clearly, there are members of this family who are upstanding citizens.
There is concern that people could be getting swept up in this. That`s why investigators are being so cautious, are being so careful, gathering as many details as they possibly can as they build the case against those they do believe actually helped Clemmons.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Final question, this happened in Washington state but the scandal goes back to Arkansas, and the fact that then Governor Huckabee gave this man a commuted sentence, allowing him essentially to go free. What`s the latest on that controversy?
MAYFIELD: As I said, our governor is basically closing the borders to any other criminals from Arkansas who may be on parole. She is saying she doesn`t care if that makes Arkansas angry. She says this is a direct quote from Governor Chris Gregoire, our governor, she said, "Arkansas can sue me until we get this figured out."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. Travis, thank you so much. We are going to stay on top of this still developing story. That is tonight`s "Top of the Block".
Meantime, the plot thickens in the D.C. party crasher scandal. The Salahis vowed they were innocent and today, they have released a long e- mail chain. Here it is. I`m waving it. I`m telling you, it`s very, very long.
They say all of this proves that they`re not crashers. But does it?
Michaele and Tareq Salahi breezed through security checkpoints and dramatically swept their way into a White House state dinner. They mingled with President Obama. They rubbed elbows with Vice President Joe Biden. But they weren`t on the list and that has created an international uproar. The couple appeared on NBC`s "Today Show" to defend themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAELE SALAHI, ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE PARTY CRASHERS: We were invited, not crashers. And there isn`t anyone that would have the audacity or the poor behavior to do that. The White House is the most -- it is The House - - and no one would do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: "It is The House", whatever that means.
Now we`re getting the e-mail trail. Mr. Salahi e-mailed this woman, Michelle Jones, asking for tickets to the state dinner. She is special assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and the Pentagon`s liaison to the White House.
In this e-mails, Ms. Jones never flat out says, "No, you are not invited." Even on the day of the dinner Michelle writes, "I am still working on tickets for tonight`s dinner. I will call or e-mail as soon as I get word."
Here`s where it gets tricky. Michelle apparently did eventually call the Salahis to tell them sorry, your names are not on the list. The couple claims they never got that message. They said their cell phone battery died. So they still went to the White House anyway. Do you buy it?
Now MSNBC reports the Salahis left before dinner. What? After all the trouble they went through, they didn`t stay for dinner? Did they leave because they knew they didn`t have assigned seats at a table?
We are finding tons of holes in this couple`s story. Let`s get to the bottom of this.
Straight out to my truly amazing expert panel: also joining me tonight, criminal defense attorney David Schwartz, but we begin with editor in chief of hollywoodlife.com, Bonnie Fuller.
Bonnie, you have studied these e-mails that span a four-day period. What is your analysis of them?
BONNIE FULLER, HOLLYWOODLIFE.COM: Well, I think there`s absolutely no proof that they weren`t invited to this dinner. There`s nothing here that says you absolutely cannot come, don`t dare to show up. And in fact, they have covered themselves by saying they never got the call that said they weren`t invited and lo and behold, they went to the White House, they got in.
So from their point of view, they were invited. And they got a lovely response to their thank you e-mail from Michelle Jones, acknowledging that they were there and she didn`t say, "Wait a second, how did you get in?" Nothing.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I`ll give you that. But I have to respectfully disagree with your conclusion of your analysis of the e-mails, because I personally found a big hole in the Salahis` story.
You know, Mrs. Salahi prepped for the White House state dinner by primping at a glamorous salon for eight long hours but when her stylist asked to see the invite, you know the physical piece of paper, she claims she couldn`t find it.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEGGY IOAKIM, HAIR ARTIST, ERWIN GOMEZ SALON & SPA: I asked her, "Do you have it with you?" She said yes. She tried looking for it and didn`t find the invitation. So I never saw it. She didn`t have it. She thought it was in the car or something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, ok, the invite`s in the car. It would appear Mrs. Salahi knew she did not have an actual printed invite. Why? Because her husband was frantically desperately e-mailing for days trying to get actual tickets. So why is she pretending to shuffle around in her bag looking for an invite she knows does not exist.
I`m going to throw that one out to criminal defense attorney David Schwartz.
DAVID SCHWARTZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thank you, Jane. Absolutely -- if we`re talking about a crime here, did they commit the crime of trespass, absolutely not? I don`t care if they crashed the house or they didn`t crash the house. It doesn`t matter.
Did they have permission and authority to enter that dwelling? That dwelling happens to be the White House, and absolutely they were let in. I don`t care if they were looking for an invitation or they didn`t have it or they weren`t on the list. They were let in, they didn`t commit any crimes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hear, hear.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hear, hear? Am I the only one upset about this? This is the White House.
The Prime Minister of India is trying to be convinced to trust the United States so that the United States can work on the border problems with Pakistan. What about the border problems around the White House?
BLOOM: Jane, these people are not involved with the border disputes in Pakistan. Why don`t we charge them for using the wrong fork or for double-dipping in the ranch dip? Give me a break. This is a social faux pas.
What these e-mails show is that they were trying to get into the dinner which by the way is not a crime and in my book not even a social faux pas, trying to get into a cool event that they wanted to go to.
If anyone should have egg on their face, it should be this Michelle Jones who clearly did not have authority, and yet continuously was e-mailing them that maybe she could get them in. So they tried to get in - - they had a little chutzpah -- they got in and what did they do? They got pictures taken with their own elected officials.
That`s the beginning and end of this story. Why should this be a crime?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Guerrero, maybe you can help me out on this one. I am going to point to yet another hole in their story.
Pentagon official Michelle Jones reportedly left a voice mail for the Salahis before the state dinner. She called them and said "Hey, guys, sorry, you`re not on the list." Not on the list for the White House state dinner.
But then after the party, Mr. Salahi writes her a thank you e- mail saying, "Michelle, you`re an angel. My cell phone battery died earlier this evening. I just now got your message after driving out. Obviously it worked out in the end. Our name was indeed on the list. God bless you."
Well, Lisa Guerrero, we all know you can check your cell phone voice mail from any phone, even if your cell`s dead. So if she`s waiting for an important call, getting all gussied up for eight hours, wouldn`t she just borrow a phone at the salon and call to check her voice mails before waltzing off to the White House?
LISA GUERRERO, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Absolute Jane. I agree with you. I think this is horrendous. I`m embarrassed for them, I`m embarrassed for the security, I`m embarrassed for this Michelle person. I think the whole thing is ridiculous.
I feel so bad for the Obamas. Like they have so much more on their plate and they have got to listen to this. I`m with you Jane. Terrible.
FULLER: Wait a second. Actually, I think they have done the country and the Obamas a service because they have exposed the fact that they are not being protected properly. We needed to know this. And thank goodness that it was merely an etiquette issue that showed up with potential reality stars and not some terrorist trying to get in the White House and gaining access.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Michaele and Tareq appeared on NBC`s "Today Show" and they say this whole thing has ruined their lives. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAREQ SALAHI, ALLEGED WHITE HOUSE PARTY CRASHER: This has been the most devastating thing that`s ever happened to us. We`re greatly saddened by all the circumstances that have been involved in portraying my wife and I as party crashers. And I can tell you, we did not party crash the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Destroyed. Their lives entirely destroyed. I think not.
Lisa Bloom, this couple`s getting exactly what they want, attention and more attention. I mean, these photos of them, she`s being swarmed by cameras but she`s grinning. She`s loving all this attention.
BLOOM: Of course she`s grinning. She looks beautiful. She`s at the White House. She`s at the state dinner. Of course she`s grinning.
I mean, I just don`t get this story. Maybe it`s because I come from a long line of people who dress up, hold their heads high and walk into places where we`re not invited. And that`s what these people did. They got away with it. And they didn`t hurt anybody. I mean, I really don`t get the outrage.
I have had a lot of people on my Facebook and Twitter pages saying it`s the White House and it`s the sanctimony of the president -- blah, blah, blah. I don`t travel in these highfalutin D.C. circles so maybe I just don`t get it. But I honestly do not see what the big deal is.
There they are smiling at each other. Why is that a crime?
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
Everybody, I have to ask you to stay right there. We`re going to have a lot more on the White House party crashing controversy.
Do you believe them? Was this just all a big misunderstanding? Or a well thought out strategy?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. SALAHI: We`re going to be coming up, up to New York City (INAUDIBLE). We`re going to show documentation from e-mails that you`ll get a chance to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We are talking about the party crashing couple Michaele and Tareq Salahi. They showed up at a White House state dinner uninvited, still managed to get in. They insist new e-mails released today prove they were legitimate guests.
We`ve gone through these e-mails. I don`t think it proves that. They have caused the White House to totally revamp its policy for "invite only" parties. The White House will now staffers from its social office at guest entrance gates to make sure no uninvited people are admitted.
You know, Lisa Guerrero, I have to say that I think that this has been a huge embarrassment for the White House, because it completely overshadowed the points that the President of the United States was trying to make. And the last thing that this president needs now when he`s talking about deploying more troops, when he`s talking about a controversial health care plan, is to be embarrassed at a White House state dinner. The very first state dinner that he`s ever held.
GUERRERO: Exactly. This is not what he wants to be talking to. This is not what his staff wants to be talking to. Nobody wants to be dealing with this issue, except for the Salahis.
This is great for them. I mean, the reality is they want to be reality show stars. So it was a great stunt for them but embarrassing for the Obamas.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The couple actually posed for photos with Vice President Joe Biden at the event. He says they were so convincing, he thought they were a couple of his old friends.
Listen to this from CBS`s "The Early Show".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn`t realize it would get so much coverage because of a couple that walked up that acted like they were my old buddies. And I thought they were some, because I have not been part of the social scene very much, commuting for 36 years down here. I don`t go to many, and I thought well, these guys are just staples in Washington society.
I was surprised when I turned on the television to find out they were apparently gate crashers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa bloom, should the vice president be talking about this? That sounds like a very bad -- he`s already known for sticking his foot in his mouth.
BLOOM: No. But what I love is he did what we all do at parties. When somebody comes up and says, "Hey, Jane, how have you been, it`s been so long." He did what we all do; "Oh, hi, great to see you" and obviously that phony pretending like you actually know these people.
I mean, that`s what they have exposed for us, not only the security breach, but these kinds of social niceties we all engage in. They`ve exposed all of it. That`s why I love this story.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHWARTZ: Let`s face it. Let`s face it Jane. The Salahis did a great job here. Let`s face it. They did a terrific job doing their job, getting into this party, they didn`t hurt anyone. Obama`s not embarrassed. He`ll go on being the president...
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, he is. They said on a scale of one to ten he`s like at eight.
SCHWARTZ: No he`s not.
BLOOM: Obama`s not thinking about this.
SCHWARTZ: We`re all going to move on with our lives.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tomorrow, there is going to be a Congressional hearing into this fiasco.
SCHWARTZ: Oh, please.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The Salahis have been invited to testify but the panel`s chairman, Bonnie Fuller says, so far, the Salahi`s have declined the committee`s invite to testify. What?
How could these reality TV wannabes turn down the chance to go down in history with Congressional hearings like let`s see the McCarthy hearing, perhaps. Remember that?
Or -- oh the Watergate hearing. Ok, I mean, this is a chance for them really to embed themselves into the nation`s cultural landscape, Bonnie, and they are turning it down?
FULLER: But why -- yes -- why should they? They want to do things on their own terms. And they have been successful at it on their own terms. They wanted to be beside the president. They don`t want to be shamed and humiliated and made to look bad because that may hurt their chances of having a reality show.
BLOOM: Also they have criminal charges pending, they can`t talk.
SCHWARTZ: Plus perjury.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
SCHWARTZ: Think about perjury also.
FULLER: I don`t think there`s going to be any criminal charges.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stay right where you are. You`ll all get another chance to comment on the White House party crashers right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was promised? What was implied to Ritz Carlton and what really happened?
VIVIAN DEUSCHL, RITZ-CARLTON SPOKESWOMAN: Well what was implied was since it was the British team and Prince Charles plays on the British team the term Royals it was thrown around quite liberally and everybody interpreted that to mean Prince Charles. And none of the organizers discourages the thinking that it wouldn`t be.
We found out at the very last minute that Prince Charles was going to be in your show and obviously people were disappointed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was a spokesperson for the Ritz Carlton. They sponsored this polo event. They pulled out and they said they were disappointed with how the Salahis handled all of this stuff vis-a-vis Prince Charles. Was he going to show or wasn`t he going to show?
Do you see a certain trend here, the Salahi`s told NBC`s "The Today Show" the scandal has ruined their reputation and their lives. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. SALAHI: Boy...
M. SALAHI: Everything we worked for, Matt. For me, 44 years is just destroyed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What exactly have they worked for 44 years that has been destroyed? They have a rather tricky track record.
Let`s take a look at a photo that was taken at a different dinner. Not this one. This is the state dinner. But here, you have a picture, again, at another dinner. Now, Salahi`s were reportedly kicked out of this dinner because they weren`t invited allegedly.
TMZ is reporting that Mr. Salahi also lied about being or Mrs. Salahi lied about being a Washington Redskins cheer leader. It`s hard to keep up. She allegedly crashed the field, posing with the team during an alumni event. Team officials say she was never on the team.
People are coming out of the woodwork, Lisa Bloom Chuckle -- Miss Chuckle -- saying this couple did not pay them. The salon where they were primped up for their wedding, the Ski Channel reports during the World`s Snow Polo Championship and asked them the Salahi`s did not pay a $22,000 entry fee. They only paid $3,000. I`m going horse from talking about all the controversies that have come out of this after this event; this alleged crashing -- Lisa.
BLOOM: Yes. Jane, it`s very hard for me to get worked up about people who didn`t pay the full amount of their polo fee all right or who gets their pictures taken with cheer leaders. You know my favorite one about the Salahis, the one that shows the most chutzpah is crashing the Congressional Black Caucus Dinner. I mean, that really amazes me.
How they got into that one, she`s got to be like the whitest person on earth. I don`t know how they did that one. Don`t you just want to tip your hat a little bit to them, Jane?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Lisa girl, I want to psycho babble about this people. Because I think they have a sense of entitlement but at the same time I think they suffer from low self-esteem.
In other words, they don`t have an (INAUDIBLE) sense of self so they`ve got to bring in the polo and Prince Charles and they`ve got to show up at these things to feel better about themselves.
GUERRERO: Well, you`re right. And if we are as a society want to bring them down a notch, we have control. Do you know what our control is? The remote control.
So when they show up on the "Real Housewives of D.C." don`t watch it, if you`re as outraged as I am with this story then don`t continue to give these reality folks a platform to be famous.
SCHWARTZ: But I think very few people are outraged with them. And to be honest with you, they may be outraged with the security procedures at the White House; I don`t think many people are outraged with them at all.
GUERRERO: Well, you know what, I`m...
SCHWARTZ: And we can`t judge. You know what? You don`t know -- we don`t know anything about these people. They have a 40-year history.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes or no question Bonnie Fuller, will they get a show? Yes? No?
FULLER: Absolutely. Ratings will be great.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re watching ISSUES.
END
