Suspect in White House dinner shooting facing attempted assassination charge

Federal prosecutors on Monday charged the man who fired shots outside the White House correspondents’ dinner with an attempted presidential assassination. The accused shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, made his first court appearance on Monday and did not enter a plea. The court scheduled a Thursday hearing to discuss any possible form of pre-trial release, before a preliminary hearing currently scheduled for May 11. It’s believed Allen took a train from Southern California to Chicago and then on to Washington, D.C., before checking into the Washington Hilton as a guest on Friday.

How many charges did Allen receive? Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche listed the three charges against Allen. They include the attempted assassination of the president of the United States, which is punishable by up to life in prison. He’s also charged with the interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Additionally, Allen was charged with the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of a lifetime prison sentence. The acting attorney general reiterated the president’s safety at the time of the incident, reminding the media that, at the time of the shooting, Allen was an entire floor above the president with hundreds of federal agents in between.

Blanche held a joint press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after the Monday court appearance. Pirro said she expected more charges to be filed as the investigation unfolded, and insisted that the alleged attacker’s goal was to assassinate the president. She cited the shooter's so-called manifesto, in which he stated his intent to bring down as many officials within the administration, starting at the top and working his way down. Officials would hold off on sharing more details about the case in order to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation, Patel said.

Is it true the shooter had ties to the church? When asked about reports of the suspected shooter having ties to Christianity, Blanche admitted that he had seen that being reported by media outlets. He ultimately told reporters they needed to wait for the investigation to progress to get clear answers.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s previous report on the shooter’s manifesto for more background on the case.