Suspect in Washington press lunch shooting charged with attempted assassination of Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Californian who federal prosecutors said opened fire shortly before the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by President Donald Trump along with Cabinet members and lawmakers was charged Monday with attempted murder of the president, administration officials said.

The 31-year-old, whom authorities identified as Cole Tomas Allen, was also charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. with interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

He faces life in prison if convicted of attempting to murder the president. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Cabinet members all safely evacuated the Washington Hilton ballroom.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said, “There will be additional charges as this investigation continues.”

“But make no mistake, this was an assassination attempt on the President of the United States in which the defendant made it clear what his intent was and that intent was to overthrow as many high-ranking Cabinet officials as possible,” Pirro said at a news conference Monday afternoon with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Allen was not charged with assault on a federal officer like Pirro said Saturday night it would be him.

A Secret Service agent was shot in the chest but was protected by a bulletproof vest. Blanche said that a particular agent shot Allen five times. According to Blanche and Pirro, the suspect was not hit but fell to the ground and injured his knee.

Blanche wouldn’t go into detail about the ballistics or details about a shot Allen allegedly fired.

“All the evidence is being examined very carefully and quickly and we will know more soon,” Blanche said.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office’s complaint is: sealed.

The suspect took the train from Los Angeles to Washington

According to a signed statutory declarationAllen made a reservation at the Washington Hilton on April 3 for April 24-26. He left Los Angeles on April 23 and traveled by train to Washington, D.C., via Chicago, according to court documents that also include investigators and Trump described as a “manifesto”.

Allen arrived at the Washington Hilton around 3 p.m. Eastern Friday, a day before the star-studded correspondents’ dinner attended each year by government officials, lawmakers, celebrities and often the president himself.

Trump, who has opted to skip the event in previous years, attended the dinner for the first time. Vice President JD Vance and many members of Trump’s Cabinet were in attendance, as was House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. – several in the presidency line of succession.

According to the affidavit, at 8:40 p.m., Allen approached a security checkpoint on the hotel’s terrace level leading to the lobby where dinner was being held and ran through the magnetometer with a long gun in hand.

“At this point, U.S. Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot. U.S. Secret Service Officer VG was shot once in the chest; Officer VG was wearing a ballistic vest at the time. Officer VG drew his service weapon and shot multiple times at ALLEN, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot. ALLEN was subsequently arrested,” the affidavit states.

According to the court document, Allen was carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol. Pirro also said the suspect had “at least three knives and all sorts of paraphernalia” on him.

When a journalist asked him how investigators knew Trump was Allen’s main target, Blanche said he couldn’t provide details.

“We have been in the investigation for a day and a half. As we discussed, we were able to obtain multiple devices from various locations, the hotel room and also his residence in California. We have begun that process. There is nothing more we can share at this point until we thoroughly go through what we are doing,” Blanche said.

Trump shared publicly Photos of the man identified as Allen, shirtless and handcuffed, on the hotel floor Sunday evening.

Leavitt blames Democrats for political violence

During Monday’s press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described Saturday’s incident as an assassination attempt on Trump. She denounced political violence and accused Democrats and the left of “inflaming” it.

“This political violence stems from a systematic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, yes, by elected members of the Democratic Party and even some in the media,” Leavitt said.

“Those who continually falsely label and vilify the president as a fascist, a threat to democracy, and compare him to Hitler to score political points are fueling this kind of violence,” she said.

Blanche also criticized critics for “calling the president horrible names for no reason, no evidence, and no proof.”

Republican Party campaigners also delivered a similar message on Monday, alleging Democrats’ “reckless, inflammatory rhetoric against President Trump and the Republicans.” Committee Chairman Joe Gruters also accused Democrats of failing to speak out against the attack in a statement released Monday.

Trump regularly insults and mocks his political opponents and the press on his social media platform Truth Social and in speeches. In one post On Friday, the president called Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a “low IQ person who is not smart enough to ‘run’ the Democratic Party.”

After the death of former FBI director and decorated combat veteran Robert Mueller in March, Trump wrote on social media: “Well, I’m glad he’s dead.”

During a November press call about Air Force One, Trump told a Bloomberg reporter: “Quiet, piggy” when she asked a question.

Homeland Security Funding

Leavitt also blamed Democrats for the months-long shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service.

“This is a national emergency and every member of Congress must put their country above party and ensure the Department of Homeland Security is funded,” Leavitt said. The shutdown came after Democrats insisted on novel guardrails for federal immigration agents following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.

Leavitt said Trump “continues to have confidence in the Secret Service” and is “pleased with the response.”

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting with DHS senior leadership, members of the Secret Service and White House operations officials “to ensure the safety and security of the president,” Leavitt said.

The ballroom

Leavitt also endorsed the president’s proposed ballroom construction, calling it “critically important to our national security” at major events that bring together several officials and lawmakers running for the presidency.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a legal challenge to the construction of the ballroom that Trump decided to build destroyed the east wing in October.

Blanche shared one letter took to social media on Sunday to call on the trust to drop its lawsuit by 9 a.m. Eastern on Monday, blaming it for “putting the lives of the president, his family and his staff at grave risk.”

The organization responded in a letter saying it would not drop it case.

The trust’s president and CEO, Carol Quillen, said in a statement that the organization was “grateful” to law enforcement for keeping Trump and all guests safe and sound over the weekend.

“We do not plan to voluntarily dismiss our lawsuit, which puts no one at risk and respectfully requires the government to follow the law. Construction of the ballroom will continue unabated until June 5 at the earliest as the injunction is on hold,” Quillen said in a statement to States Newsroom.

“We have always recognized the benefit of a larger meeting room in the White House. Lawful construction requires congressional approval, which the administration may seek at any time.”