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Pols, Stars and Jets Players Attend White House State Dinner
By
Jen Chung
Published May 20, 2010
Modified May 20, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 20, 2010
Modified May 20, 2010
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Last night, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama held their second White House State Dinner, this time welcoming Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife Margarita Zavala. After their first State Dinner for India's prime minister was crashed by aspiring reality stars (prompting Secret Service members to be put on leave), security was tight this go around. The AP reports, "At least one woman was turned away for lack of proper ID. Kathryne Mudge said her husband, Arturo Valenzuela, an assistant secretary of state, was supposed to bring the necessary identification. 'My husband is the absent-minded professor,' Mudge said."
The couple returned with the ID an hour later and were able to enjoy an evening with fellow guests, such as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, the richest man in the world Carlos Slim, actress Eva Longoria Parker, and Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez, whose grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and worked as a fruit picker, decided to bring fellow Jet D'Brickashaw Ferguson as his guest. Sanchez's brother told ESPN, "In his first year with the Jets, Mark has been blessed with opportunities to meet extraordinary people and attend unbelievable events, but dining with the Presidents and First Ladies of the United States and Mexico at the State Dinner has to be the ultimate experience in his young career. Our family is excited for Mark and D'Brickashaw and trust that they will represent the Jets and their families well. I know both of them are working hard to one day make a return trip to the White House as champions."
Here's the expected guest list to the State Dinner, and here's the list of expected attendees to the reception; many of the guests were those who raised a lot of money for Democratic causes.
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immigration
mark sanchez
mexico
president obama
State dinner
White House
white house state dinner
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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