I woke up this morning and discovered that I live down the street from a private club headed by a man identified in today’s Washington Post as the third White House party crasher. “Unlike the Salahis, this newly revealed crasher got into the White House with the official Indian delegation,” the Post reported. “Many of the key details have not been officially released: the man’s name, how he came to be with the group of diplomats and how close he got to the president and first lady. But a congressional source, who was granted anonymity to speak about the ongoing investigation into porous security at the White House, identified the man as Carlos Allen, a D.C. party promoter who runs an event space in Mount Pleasant.”
Allen runs HushGalleria, a “Luxury Network Venue,” described on its website as “a private social club whose members enjoy unparalleled access to elite movers and shakers,” and “the benefits of a social club atmosphere but one that was not located in your traditional bar and nightclub venues.” Last year HushGalleria hosted an Inaugural Gala which offered “mind-blowing excitement in celebrating our new President Barack Obama. It all starts at the BEAUTIFUL HushGalleria Mansion. If you’ve ever attended festivities here before, it’s no surprise this is one of the hottest private event spots in the city…Join us for this one-of-a-kind, movers and shakers Inaugural celebration that will leave you breathless with unsurpassed HushGalleria memories.”
The Post said that Allen got into the party with “a group of prominent Indian businessmen” who were in town along with that country’s official delegation, and who were ferried to the White House from the nearby Willard Hotel in a van arranged by the State Department. The story did not say exactly how Allen got on the delegation other than that “apparently he knew someone at the [Indian] embassy.”
I don’t know a lot about Allen or the HushGalleria, other than that every time he hosts a party it’s impossible to park anywhere near my home because there are so many cars and limousines clogging the streets of the neighborhood. But a woman who I’m told is from India (or is of Indian descent) is his business partner and sometimes hosts the parties at the “HushGalleria Mansion,” as the club is called, so that might possibly explain his connection at the embassy.
Allen told Politico that he did not attend the state dinner but Nicole Almodovar, the 2009 Miss Maryland Galaxy, told the newspaper that he had claimed to have attended. “”Yes, he told me he went and that he had a good time,” Almadovar told Politico.
Update: From a November 30th, 2009 post at Ask Miss A.
This Thanksgiving I was fortunate enough to have the chance to spend time with friends and family. In addition, I volunteered for Hush Society Magazine helping them provide 100 families with Thanksgiving meals…I met Carlos Allen, CEO, Brian Silver, Public Relations President, and Sharmila Viswasam, Public Relations Director, at their headquarters a couple weeks prior to the event for a volunteer orientation meeting…
Carlos Allen and his staff are quite busy, they just returned from California from the VMAs and had attended the State Dinner the night before.
This may be merely coincidence but on December 3rd Viswasam tweeted: “The WHTE HOUSE IS SOO NICE!!”
Allen apparently heads a company called AFS Mortgage Inc., with a business address next door to the party venue. The firm claims a number of federal minority preferences in bidding for government contracts.
