California teacher Cole Allen has been formally charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) held a press conference following Cole Tomas Allen’s first appearance in federal court on Monday, where he was charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald J. Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. 📰 DETAIL: Allen allegedly traveled from California to Washington, D.C., with a pump-action shotgun, a handgun, and three knives, intending to carry out a political assassination. He had made a hotel reservation for three nights and checked into the Hilton on Friday. A note found at his home expressed anger towards the Trump administration. He traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago on April 1 and from Chicago to Washington, D.C. on April 24th, before checking into the Washington Hilton. 🎯 IMPACT: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, joined by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, confirmed at the press conference that Allen faces a count of attempted assassination of the President of the United States, punishable by up to life imprisonment, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, punishable by up to ten years in prison, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, punishable by up to life and a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed additional charges will follow. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “At approximately 8.40 PM, on the night of April 25th, Allen approached the security checkpoint on the terraced level of the hotel, a floor above where the dinner was taking place. He ran through the magnetometer holding a long gun. As he did so, U.S. Security Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot. One Secret Service officer was shot in the chest, but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked. This heroic officer who was hit fired five times at Allen, who was not shot but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.” – Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche |
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