WASHINGTON \u2014 The California man said by federal prosecutors to have opened fire just outside the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner, where President Donald Trump was in attendance alongside Cabinet members and lawmakers, was charged Monday with attempting to assassinate the president, administration officials said.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old identified by authorities as Cole Tomas Allen was also arraigned in Washington, D.C., federal court on charges of interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.<\/p>\n
He faces up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to kill the president. Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Cabinet members all safely evacuated the Washington Hilton ballroom.<\/p>\n
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said, \u201cThere will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking Cabinet officials as he could,\u201d Pirro said at a Monday afternoon press conference with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.<\/p>\n
Allen was not charged with assault on a federal officer, as Pirro had\u00a0said<\/a> Saturday night he would be.<\/p>\n One Secret Service agent was shot in the chest but was protected by a bulletproof vest. Blanche said that particular agent had fired five times at Allen. The suspect was not hit but fell to the ground and scraped his knee, according to Blanche and Pirro.<\/p>\n Blanche would not elaborate further on ballistics, including details about a shot Allen allegedly fired.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the evidence is being examined very carefully and expeditiously, and we\u2019ll know more soon,\u201d Blanche said.<\/p>\n The federal prosecutors\u2019 complaint is\u00a0sealed<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a signed\u00a0affidavit<\/a>, Allen made a reservation for the Washington Hilton on April 3, for the dates of April 24-26. He left Los Angeles on April 23 and traveled by train to Washington, D.C., via Chicago, according to the court filing, which also includes what investigators and Trump have\u00a0described<\/a> as a \u201cmanifesto.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Allen arrived at the Washington Hilton around 3 p.m. Eastern Friday, a day ahead of the high-profile correspondents\u2019 dinner that annually draws administration officials, lawmakers, celebrities and often the president himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump, opting to skip the event in previous years, was attending the dinner for the first time. Vice President JD Vance and many of Trump\u2019s Cabinet members were in attendance, as was House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. \u2014 several in the presidential\u00a0line of succession<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the affidavit, at 8:40 p.m. Allen \u201capproached and ran through the magnetometer holding a long gun\u201d at a security checkpoint on the hotel\u2019s Terrace level leading to the Concourse level, where the dinner was ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cAs he did so, U.S. Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot. U.S. Secret Service Officer V.G. was shot once in the chest; Officer V.G. was wearing a ballistic vest at the time. Officer V.G. drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at ALLEN, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot. ALLEN was subsequently arrested,\u201d according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n Allen was carrying a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and a .38 caliber pistol, according to the court document. Pirro also said the suspect had on him \u201cat least three knives and all kinds of paraphernalia.\u201d<\/p>\n When pressed by a journalist on how investigators know that Trump was Allen\u2019s primary target, Blanche said he could not share details.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a day-and-a-half into the investigation. As we talked about earlier, we were able to get multiple devices from various locations, the hotel room and also where he lived in California. We have started that process. There\u2019s nothing more that would be appropriate to share at this time, until we have thoroughly gone through it, which we\u2019re doing,\u201d Blanche said.<\/p>\n Trump\u00a0publicly shared<\/a> photos of the man identified as Allen, shirtless and handcuffed on the hotel floor, Sunday night.<\/p>\n During Monday\u2019s press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described Saturday\u2019s incident as an attempt on Trump\u2019s life, and she denounced political violence while blaming Democrats and the left for \u201cfueling\u201d it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis political violence stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, yes, by elected members of the Democrat Party and even some in the media,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who constantly falsely label and slander the president as a fascist, as a threat to democracy and compare him to Hitler to score political points, are fueling this kind of violence,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blanche also decried critics for \u201ccalling the president horrible names for no reason and without evidence, without proof.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Republican party campaigners also delivered a similar message Monday, implicating Democrats\u2019 \u201creckless, inflammatory rhetoric against President Trump and Republicans.\u201d The committee\u2019s chair, Joe Gruters, also accused Democrats in a statement released Monday of not speaking out against the attack.<\/p>\n Trump routinely namecalls and ridicules his political foes and the press on his social media platform, Truth Social, and in speeches. In a\u00a0post<\/a> Friday, the president called Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a \u201cLow IQ individual who is not smart enough to be \u2018running\u2019 the Democrat Party.\u201d<\/p>\n Upon the death in March of former FBI director and decorated combat veteran Robert Mueller, Trump\u00a0wrote<\/a> on social media, \u201cGood, I\u2019m glad he\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n During a November press gaggle on Air Force One, Trump told a female reporter from Bloomberg, \u201cQuiet, Piggy<\/a>,\u201d as she asked a question.<\/p>\n Leavitt also blamed Democrats for the monthslong shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, under which the Secret Service operates.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a national emergency, and every member of Congress needs to put their country over party and get the Department of Homeland Security funded,\u201d Leavitt said. The shutdown occurred after Democrats insisted on new guardrails for federal immigration agents following the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.<\/p>\n Leavitt said Trump \u201ccontinues to have trust in the Secret Service\u201d and \u201cwas satisfied with the response.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will convene a meeting with top DHS leadership, members of the Secret Service and White House operations officials \u201cto ensure safety and the security of the president,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n Leavitt also advocated for the president\u2019s proposed ballroom construction, calling it \u201ccritical for our national security\u201d during large events where several officials and lawmakers in line for the presidency gather together.<\/p>\n The National Trust for Historic Preservation legally challenged the construction of the ballroom, for which Trump\u00a0demolished<\/a> the East Wing in October.\u00a0<\/p>\nSuspect took train from Los Angeles to Washington<\/h4>\n
Leavitt blames Dems for political violence<\/h4>\n
Homeland Security funding<\/h4>\n
The ballroom<\/h4>\n