Correspondents' dinner suspect charged with attempted assassination of Trump
The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and will remain at least temporarily behind bars as the case moves forward.
Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Monday to face federal charges in a chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was taken into custody after the shooting on Saturday night and sat beside his lawyers in a brief appearance Monday in Washington’s federal court.
Besides being charged with attempting to assassinate the Republican president, Allen also faces two firearms charges. He did not enter a plea.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Assistant U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jocelyn Ballantine said.
Allen was walked in by four U.S. marshals and sat in court wearing a blue jumpsuit. He appeared to scan the public gallery, where 40 to 50 members of the press and public were observing the proceedings. Allen was soft spoken in his brief responses to Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh’s questions. He nodded along as the judge explained aspects of his proceedings.
An FBI affidavit filed in the case revealed additional details about the planning behind the assault, with authorities alleging that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Washington hotel where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California last week, checking himself into the Washington Hilton one day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend. With him, authorities said, were a 12-gauge pump action shotgun he bought last year and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol he purchased in 2023.
His attorney, a federal public defender, said he has no prior arrests or convictions.
“He is presumed innocent at this time,” Tezira Abe said.
Prosecutors say Allen traveled with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38 caliber pistol, three knives and other “dangerous paraphernalia.”
Allen was ordered to remain jailed pending additional court hearings, and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination count alone.
An FBI affidavit filed in the case revealed additional details about the planning behind the assault, with authorities alleging that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Washington hotel where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California last week, checking himself into the Washington Hilton one day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend. With him, authorities said, were a 12-gauge pump action shotgun he bought last year and a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol he purchased in 2023.
Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover.
‘Law enforcement did not fail’
At a news conference after the hearing, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche praised law enforcement for stopping Allen and protecting the president. Hundreds of federal agents separated Allen and Trump, he said.
“Law enforcement did not fail,” he said.
Allen will face additional charges, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said at the news conference, alongside posters of what authorities say were Allen’s weapons.
Blanche said Allen left Los Angeles by train on April 21, arrived in Chicago and continued on to D.C. He checked in to the Washington Hilton on April 24, the night before the dinner.
Ten minutes before the shooting, Allen sent a long message to his family characterizing himself as a “friendly federal assassin,” investigators said. He described his targets as “administration officials” and alluded to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions.
His family said they alerted police when they saw his writings. They said Allen had a tendency to make radical statements and often referred to a plan to do something.
Video posted by Trump shows a man running past a security barricade as Secret Service agents run toward him.
Records show Allen is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer. A social media profile for a man with the same name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.
The guns Allen had were legally purchased a few years ago.
Allen is due in court again Thursday morning for a detention hearing.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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