'Preliminary findings' suggest suspect targeted Trump administration officials, says acting US attorney general
The acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, stated that “preliminary findings” indicate the alleged shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was targeting President Donald Trump and officials in his administration.
Blanche told NBC News’ Meet the Press:
“We’re still investigating a motive, and that’s something that will necessarily take a couple of days at least. We believe he was targeting administration officials in this attack, attempted attack, but that’s again, quite preliminary.”
He added that those officials “likely” include the US president, but emphasized caution, saying,
“I want to wait and not get ahead of us on that.”
Blanche further noted that he does not believe the suspect is cooperating with investigators.
The suspect will be charged in federal court tomorrow with assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm, and attempting to kill a federal officer, Blanche said. He also stated that it is unknown if there was any connection to Iran regarding the attack.
Investigators believe the suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, then from Chicago to Washington DC, before checking into the hotel where the dinner was held, Blanche added.
He said investigators were examining reports that the suspect assembled the weapon in the hotel but did not progress far.
“He barely broke the perimeter. And by barely, I mean by a few feet.”
The suspected shooter is currently held at a Metropolitan Police Department station in northwest Washington DC, according to law enforcement sources cited by CBS News. He will be transported later today to a detention facility in the southeast of the capital.
The alleged gunman will be transported by the US Marshals Service to federal court on Monday, where he is expected to be arraigned before a federal judge, the Justice Department announced.
'We are proud of everyone in that room,' White House Correspondents' Association says
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), who was seated next to President Trump at the dinner, issued a statement regarding the incident, which was intended to be a celebration of journalism.
“Last night’s shooting at the Washington Hilton was a harrowing moment for everyone in attendance.
We express our deepest gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel who ensured the safety of everyone in the ballroom and beyond. Their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer who was injured in the line of duty. We are grateful everyone in attendance was unharmed, including the President, the First Lady, and the Vice President.
Our dinner exists to celebrate the First Amendment and the hard daily work of the journalists who defend it. Last night, those journalists showed exactly the kind of calm and courage that work demands, jumping into reporting immediately after the incident unfolded. We are proud of everyone in that room.
The WHCA board will be meeting to assess what happened and determine how to proceed. We will provide updates as soon as any are available.”
In his alleged manifesto, Cole Allen, the man accused of targeting the dinner, referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and created a prioritized list of targets for the shooting, with Trump administration officials at the top, according to a report from the New York Post.
The manifesto, obtained by the Post, begins with apologies to those who knew the suspect and outlines his motives. It states that the shooter targeted administration officials except FBI director Kash Patel.
“I am a citizen of the United States of America,” it said. “What my representatives do reflects on me. And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
“Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes,” it later says.
The writer also criticized the event’s security, describing it as weak.
“Like, the one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance… The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before,”it reads.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the dinner as having been
“hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible.”
She wrote in a statement,
“I was with President Trump and the First Lady backstage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service. President Trump was truly fearless, but as he said last night, this political violence needs to end.”
Leavitt added,
“Thank you to law enforcement for keeping all of us safe, including the brave agent who took a bullet to the chest and immediately moved to neutralize the shooter.”
Trump stated that he had wanted to continue with the dinner following the shooting but acknowledged that postponing was the “right thing” to do.
He said in a Sunday interview with Fox News,
“I really wanted to do it that night, even if we stayed late into the night, but we did the right thing, and we came back to the White House, we did a news conference and explained what happened.”
He added,
“I really wanted to, but the protocol was no and, you know, once those doors were open, that room was sealed.”
The president also said,
“We can’t let these criminals and these really bad people change the course of events in our country,”and remarked that he had planned to “really rip it last night.”
He concluded,
“But I didn’t get a chance to do that. Probably, I was better off if I didn’t.”
King's visit to Washington to continue as planned, Trump says
Trump confirmed to Fox News that King Charles III’s visit to the US will proceed as planned.
He said,
“He’s a great guy, and we look forward to it. He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he’s brave. We’re gonna have a great time. And he represents his nation like nobody else can do it.”
Donald Trump described the suspected shooter as “a sick and very troubled guy” who was stopped by law enforcement before reaching the ballroom.
He added that the suspect appeared to harbor “hatred in his heart for a while” and was “strongly anti-Christian.”
Trump also revealed that the suspect’s family had raised concerns about him to police prior to the attack on the media gala.
He said,
“He’s got some big problems with the rest of his life.”
The president reiterated the need for a secure ballroom at the White House, which he said is under construction ahead of schedule and on budget.
FBI director Kash Patel praised the leadership displayed during the incident and confirmed the investigation is ongoing.
On X, Patel wrote,
“Last night we saw the best of American leadership. I am proud to work for President Trump who so strongly backs law enforcement across this country - and proud to lead this agency that works 24/7 to keep Americans safe.”
He added,
“Thank you to our brave law enforcement and interagency partners who acted quickly and protected their fellow Americans. Investigation ongoing.”
Suspect's writings in hotel room reveal intent to target Trump officials – report
The suspect’s writings, reportedly found in his hotel room, are under examination as part of the investigation, according to CBS News.
Sources indicated that the writings “clearly stated” the suspect intended to target administration officials.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with President Trump on Sunday and expressed relief that the president and first lady were safe following the shooting, a Downing Street spokesperson told .
The spokesperson said,
“He [Starmer] extended his best wishes to the President and First Lady following the shocking scenes at last night’s White House Correspondents Dinner.”
They added that Starmer had
“expressed his relief that the President and First Lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured.”
Today so far
Preliminary findings indicate that the alleged shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was targeting Donald Trump and officials in his administration, according to acting US attorney general Todd Blanche. The suspect’s motive remains under investigation.
The suspect, identified by the Associated Press as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court tomorrow. He faces charges of assault of a federal officer, discharging a firearm, and attempting to kill a federal officer. Blanche noted that depending on the investigation’s progress, attempted assassination charges could be added.
The officer injured in the attack has been released from hospital, according to US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi. He said,
“The ballistic vest helped us avoid a potential tragedy last night.”
Trump reiterated on Sunday that the shooting underscores the need for a secure ballroom at the White House. A US judge recently ruled on Trump’s $400 million ballroom project, granting a preliminary injunction requested by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Security arrangements for King Charles’s upcoming state visit to Washington are under review, Buckingham Palace stated. The palace said on Sunday that Charles is being “kept fully informed of developments” related to the shooting and was “greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed.”
