Here's Ari: Press secretary on 'Tonight Show'

Ari Fleischer

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- White House press secretary Ari Fleischer will appear Monday on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the White House said Saturday.

Fleischer will follow in the footsteps of first lady Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, both of whom have appeared on the program.

Fleischer will tape his segment Monday afternoon at NBC's Burbank studios while President Bush is in Los Angeles, California, to mark the 10th anniversary of the riots spawned by the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King.

Fleischer's appearance will be broadcast Monday night, said Anne Womack, a White House spokeswoman.

In Texas, where Bush was visiting his Crawford ranch, Fleischer was less accessible to the media. Reporters were barred Friday from a speech the press secretary gave at a synagogue in nearby Waco.

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Fleischer worshipped at Temple Rodef Sholom and then addressed the synagogue. The Waco Tribune-Herald said he "requested a private audience with local Jews," but Womack said Fleischer did not ask the synagogue to bar reporters.

Womack said Fleischer's speech was not religious in tone. Instead, she said, it was more of a "day-in-the-life" of a White House official. She said Fleischer had been invited to deliver an "off-the-record" talk.

"Ari was very surprised," Womack said. "It's nothing that Ari asked him [the rabbi] to do. It's a case where maybe someone who doesn't work around the press was trying to protect Ari."

Reporters who sought to cover Fleischer's remarks said they were intercepted at the door. The rabbi also instructed those inside the synagogue who were reporters to leave.