Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man, has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and two other federal crimes after he opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event attended by the President, First Lady Melania Trump, and numerous Cabinet officials.
Charges Filed
The Justice Department accused Allen of attempting to attack the dinner and specifically target President Trump and administration officials. According to officials, Allen ran through a Secret Service checkpoint armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives. He made his first court appearance on Monday afternoon, appearing quiet and emotionless, and was formally charged with three federal crimes.
The charges include attempted assassination of the President, along with two gun-related offenses. If convicted, Allen faces a potential sentence of life in prison. He has not yet entered a plea.
Manifesto Details
The criminal complaint also includes Allen's chilling manifesto, in which he explicitly stated his intent to target 'administration officials' from the 'highest-ranking to lowest.' In the manifesto, he wrote: 'I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn't come to that.'
The Justice Department filed the criminal complaint on Monday, outlining the full scope of the allegations against Allen. The document includes both the charges and the complete text of his manifesto.
