Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man, was arraigned on Monday in federal Washington, D.C., court and charged with attempted assassination of a president, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The arraignment comes just days after he allegedly charged past a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday and exchanged gunfire with Secret Service.
Law enforcement took down Allen at the security perimeter at the Washington Hilton hotel where the dinner is annually held.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Cabinet members and members of Congress were quickly and safely evacuated from the ballroom as shots were exchanged.
Here’s the latest on what happened:
Allen arraigned in federal court
In his first court appearance, Allen was read his rights as a criminal defendant and given his charges.
They include an attempted assassination on the president, which has a maximum life sentence in prison, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, which has a maximum of 10 years, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which has a minimum of 10 years, maximum of life, and is consecutive to the other charges, Politico’s Kyle Cheney reported from the courtroom.
The assassination charge was added Monday. Officials said initially that Allen would face a charge for the Secret Service officer struck by a bullet in the chest, but without it being in Monday’s affidavit, it is unclear who shot the officer.
The agent was shot in the chest but was recovering in “good spirits” thanks to a bulletproof vest, officials said.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday that “we want to get that right” in response to a question about whose bullet struck the Secret Service agent. He confirmed that five shots from law enforcement were fired and “believe” it was from one officer, but is still collecting information. He confirmed one shot was fired from Allen but did not confirm or deny if Allen’s fired bullet was the one that struck the officer.
“All the evidence is being examined very carefully and expeditiously, and we’ll know more soon. We do believe that, as the complain lays out ... that the defendant fired it out of his shotgun, and we know that that happened,” Blanche said. “But as far as getting into exacting ballistics, I’m not going to do that today because it’s still being looked at and finalized.”
Allen will remain detained but a hearing for his longer-term detention is set for Thursday, April 30. Given the severity of the charges, he will likely remain in detention as he awaits further hearings. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
The Department of Justice may add more charges when Allen is officially indicted, but as it stands, he has been arrested over three charges.
DOJ provides update on investigation, manifesto
Blanche, along with FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro provided an update about the shooting on Monday afternoon.
“As you all know, an act of violence occurred at a gathering that symbolizes something fundamental to our system of government, the ability of a free press and public officials to come together in celebration and not fear,” Blanche said.
Blanche said the Department of Justice is approaching the incident with urgency and clarity. The matter would be investigated fully and the administration will ensure that justice is “swift and certain.”
“But we also should recognize what did not happen. Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they are trained to do,” he said.
Blanche detailed Allen’s movements from his home in California, arriving in Washington at approximately 1 p.m. EDT on April 24. According to Blanche, Allen was staying in the hotel April 24 to April 26 after making a reservation April 6. He left his home near Los Angeles on April 21, traveling to Chicago and from Chicago to Washington via train, officials said.
Around 8:40 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Allen rushed the security checkpoint holding a gun when a Secret Service officer heard a gunshot. The officer that was shot in the chest by Allen shot at the suspect five times. Allen was not hit, but fell to the ground, where he was arrested by other officers.
Pirro highlighted Allen’s manifesto, where he detailed his intent was to target as many Trump administration officials as possible at the dinner. They believe that he was working alone.
The New York Post first reported that Allen sent a manifesto to his family members moments before he rushed the security perimeter, calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and said that his “targets” were administration officials. He wrote that he was willing to “still go through most everyone here” to get to the targets.
“The Constitution and the laws of the United States permit us to register our views through our voices and our votes. What they don’t permit is making your views known through violence, especially violence directed at the President of the United States,” Pirro said.
Law enforcement confirmed to CBS News that Allen’s brother was alarmed to receive his brother’s email and called police in Connecticut to alert them on Saturday evening. Other writings were found in his California home and the Hilton hotel room.
Patel asked the public to provide any tips or information they have about Allen and his intentions, as the investigation is ongoing.
Security and political violence questions
The incident renewed debate about political violence in America and whether the event was really as secure as it should have been.
Though Allen didn’t make it close to the ballroom where attendees were dining, the Hilton was still partially open to the public, where Allen was staying in a room as a guest, and for other correspondents’ dinner events.
The Trump administration is backing Secret Service and praising law enforcement for stopping what could have been a mass shooting or political assassination.
Blanche said Monday that he wanted to make it clear that Allen was on a floor above the ballroom and there were hundreds of federal agents between him and the attendees.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who was supposed to be on maternity leave, made an unexpected briefing on Monday to detail the administration’s response to the shooting. In response to top lawmakers like House Speaker Mike Johnson calling for increased security for the president, Leavitt said that Trump has said he continues to have trust in Secret Service and they successfully operated their mission to stop Allen on Saturday.
Trump believes that security protocols worked as they were designed and Allen’s actions were not a result of a failure of security, Leavitt said.
“The president has said he believes that the protocols work,” she said, noting how they were pulled off stage within seconds. “That is not done if there’s a lapse. So, Secret Service did their jobs well ... and thank God they did, because if that man was allowed into that ballroom, it would have been a much different scene.”
Leavitt said the administration will be holding a private meeting to detail what updates could happen to security for the president, just as they did after the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. Early reports from CNN said White House chief of staff Susie Wiles would convene Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security officials to review the protocol.
Trump said Saturday that the event should be held in the ballroom he’s building at the White House, instead and Leavitt reaffirmed Monday that it is a national security concern if it is not built.
The president initially wanted to return to the ballroom once Allen was secured, but security protocol was that he leave and head back to the White House. Trump said he wants to reschedule within the next 30 days.
This year’s dinner had heightened attention and scrutiny because it was Trump’s first time accepting the invitation after previously not attending. A coalition of journalists and organizations called on the White House Correspondents’ Association to explicitly protect the First Amendment, given the president’s continued criticism of many reporters in the room, whom he alleges have bias or have reported fake facts.
Trump sits for ‘60 Minutes’ interview after attack
Trump, interviewed by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell one day after the shooting at the event, detailed getting ushered off stage and the “calm” he felt back at the White House addressing the nation Saturday evening.
The president said he wanted to go back and resume the award ceremony because he doesn’t like to have someone “essentially attacking our Constitution, attacking our country, changing events that are, you know, it’s an important event.”
Trump shared that he was happy he went to the dinner on Saturday after notably skipping it in previous years. He detailed that there was “great camaraderie” between reporters, politicians and people of differing political beliefs in the room.
He reiterated the need to have a ballroom built in the White House so the event and others can be held in a more secure area. The ballroom would be the “safest piece of property in this country,” Trump said.
O’Donnell asked the president if he was worried that there were going to be injuries. He paused and said in a more quiet tone that he “wasn’t worried.”
“I understand life. We live in a crazy world,” Trump continued. “You can really enhance your chances of having a perfect situation but sometimes things will happen.”
In response to the security concerns, Trump argued that adjustments can happen, but thought law enforcement did a great job stopping Allen from coming any closer to the ballroom. “They learn,” he said of the officials.
“I hope we’re going to do it again ... and we should do it within 30 days. And they’ll have even more security, and they’ll have bigger perimeter security, it’ll be fine,” Trump said. “I think it’s very important that they do it again.”