WASHINGTON (AP):

The couple that got into the White House state dinner for the visiting Indian prime minister without showing invitations, denied yesterday that they were gatecrashers.

Appearing on a nationally broadcast morning news show with his wife, Tareq Salahi said the furore surrounding him and his wife Michaele over their attendance at the dinner a week ago, has been a "most devastating" experience.

Salahi told NBC's Today show yesterday there's more to their side of the story; an explanation that would exonerate them from allegations of misconduct in the breach of White House security. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, appearing on the same programme, stood by the administration's position that the Salahis had not been invited.