FBI Director Kash Patel faced tough questions on Fox News on Monday regarding the suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The interview came after a weekend incident in Washington, D.C., where a gunman was apprehended at the event.
Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones, who attended the dinner, described it as a 'security nightmare' on social media. He pressed Patel on whether the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, was known to federal authorities before the shooting. Allen is due to be arraigned in federal court on Monday, accused of sending a manifesto containing anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric to family members prior to the incident.
Patel responded that the FBI's investigation is ongoing and declined to comment on specifics, stating he could not 'get ahead' of the Department of Justice. He confirmed that evidence including emails, social media posts, and witness interviews has been collected. Jones also criticised the security procedures following repeated assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, with Saturday's incident being the third in under two years.
In his first interview since the shooting, President Trump called Allen's alleged manifesto 'anti-Christian'. Sections published by the New York Post reportedly showed Allen referring to himself as the 'Friendly Federal Assassin' and 'Cole coldForce'. Authorities were alerted to the manifesto by the suspect's brother in Connecticut.
