MSNBC's Joe Scarborough has condemned the decision to hold the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton, calling it an 'extraordinarily stupid' choice following a shooting attempt at the event.
Security Breach at the Gala
On Saturday evening, California teacher Cole Tomas Allen, 31, allegedly attempted to storm the venue armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. Surveillance footage shows him trying to bolt past a security checkpoint. He exchanged fire with Secret Service agents before being tackled and arrested. One agent was struck in the bulletproof vest and is expected to recover. No other injuries were reported.
Allen's chilling manifesto, published by the New York Post, detailed his reasoning and mocked the lack of security. 'What the hell is the Secret Service doing?' he wrote, noting he expected 'security cameras at every bend, bugged hotel rooms, armed agents every 10 feet, metal detectors out the wazoo.' Instead, he encountered minimal security, describing a 'sense of arrogance' at the hotel.
Scarborough's Criticism
On Monday, Scarborough, who did not attend the dinner, said he could not think of a 'dumber place' for the event. 'It just seems extraordinarily stupid to use an open hotel and get State of the Union-type concentration of power in the United States, especially at a time of war against a country that's been the epicenter of terrorism since 1979,' he said. He added that the venue puts top officials at risk, including the secretary of defense, FBI director, vice president, and president.
His wife and cohost, Mika Brzezinski, noted that the decision to hold the dinner at the Hilton rests with the White House administration, saying, 'That's still on the Trump Administration... to have that concentration of power in one place at a time of war.'
Allen's Motive and Charges
Allen's manifesto indicated he was targeting top Trump administration officials, referring to President Trump as a 'pedophile, rapist, and traitor.' He wrote, 'I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.' He expressed that as a US citizen, the actions of his representatives reflect on him.
Federal prosecutors have charged Allen with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces a minimum of ten years and up to life in prison for the weapons charges, plus up to 20 years for the assault.
