We would have had no idea that controversial Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was an invited guest to a St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House but for an “administrative input error” that kept him waiting outside the event for an hour and a half. Now that we know, we’re not at all surprised that Adams was invited, and Adams tweeted his invitation to prove it.
My invite 2
The White House. Just saying. pic.twitter.com/0fGax1LMhB— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) March 16, 2016
That’s adorable.
Confirmation of my invite 2 White House Reception. From the White House. pic.twitter.com/lMTVXp05MP
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) March 16, 2016
Good lord, does that confirmation letter say that each guest must provide “valid, government-issued photo identification”? Not only is the White House rude, but flat-out racist.
So what was the reason Adams was initially denied entrance to the reception? An “administrative input error”? As in, an administrator at the White House mistakenly included Adams’ name on the guest list? In any case, Adams was pissed (in the American sense of the word), making sure the personal insult was blown up into an international incident, publishing a statement that read, in part:
I had received my usual invitation to attend the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House and was pleased to accept.
When I arrived the staff at the White House informed me that there was an issue of “security.”
After two decades of travelling back and forth to the USA and countless meetings in the White House with successive US Presidents, this is an unacceptable development.
It is obvious that there remain some within the US administration who seek to treat Sinn Fein differently.
…
Sinn Fein will not sit at the back of the bus for anyone. We are elected to represent citizens and we will do this. I am hopeful that the controversy around my White House invitation will help lead to a resolution of all these matters.
The Secret Service reportedly expressed its regrets in a brief statement.
Secret Service statement on the "administrative input error" that kept Gerry Adams out of a White House event: pic.twitter.com/GnsCV17ZyD
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) March 16, 2016
“Regret” falls short of an apology now, doesn’t it? The Secret Service treated Adams like some sort of youthful extremist who remade himself into a mainstream politician or something.
Spokesperson for Gerry Adams says neither White House nor US Secret Service have personally apologised for incident. https://t.co/UxNVriSwd7
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) March 16, 2016
Will the White House personally apologize? We’ll certainly hear about it from Adams.
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