CHARGES FILED IN PRESS GALA SHOOTING

Christopher Cann, Bart Jansen, Thao Nguyen,

James Powel and Josh Meyer

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The suspect accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend is being charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is also charged with transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with the intent to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh said. If convicted of the assassination attempt, Allen could face life behind bars, Sharbaugh said.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at an April 27 press conference that “only” three charges were filed initially

“There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold.”

Jeanine Pirro

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia

Federal agents draw their guns after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner on April 25 in Washington. President Donald Trump and other officials were evacuated.

NATHAN HOWARD/GETTY IMAGES

against Allen but that more are expected.

“There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold,” Pirro said. “Make no mistake: This was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was.”

“That intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking Cabinet officials as he could,” Pirro added.

Authorities say Allen took a train from Los Angeles to Chicago to Washington before arriving at the Washington Hilton. Armed with multiple guns and knives, the suspect charged a security checkpoint before gunshots rang out, officials said. One Secret Service agent was shot but was saved by a bulletproof vest. A senior law enforcement official told USA TODAY that Allen, a Caltech graduate and tutor, sent a message to family members before the event began referring to himself as a “friendly federal assassin” and expressing grievances against the Trump administration.

Allen, dressed in a blue jumpsuit, didn’t say much during the hearing, but his remarks were lucid and courteous toward Sharbaugh. Allen identified himself by name and age and said he holds a master’s degree in computer science when asked about his education.

He answered the judge’s questions with either “Yes, your honor” or “No, your honor.”

Tezira Abe, one of the two lawyers appointed for Allen, requested and was granted a detention hearing to decide whether Allen will remain detained while his case unfolds, and what kinds of conditions will be in place if Allen is permitted to go free. Sharbaugh set the hearing for April 30 before another judge.

Agent fired 5 times

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on April 27 said the Secret Service agent who was wounded in the attack fired five times at the suspect but missed.

Blanche said the suspect approached the checkpoint on the terrace level of the Washington Hilton, which is a floor above the ballroom where Trump was attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

The suspect ran through a metal detector holding a long gun and as he did so, Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot, Blanche said.

“One Secret Service officer was shot in the chest but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked,” Blanche said. “This heroic officer who was hit fired five times at Allen, who was not shot but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.”

Security review

The incident raised immediate security concerns, especially ahead of a royal state visit and events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran was expected to brief the two top lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 27, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who heads the committee, and Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, according to Grassley’s office. The White House said chief of staff Susie Wiles also will meet this week with Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security leaders to discuss security protocols.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Secret Service’s handling of the attempted attack, telling reporters on April 27 that Trump said he believes “the protocols worked.”

“Having been right up there on stage with the president and the first lady, I can tell you it was seconds before we were told to get down and it was seconds before we found ourselves in the holding room backstage,” Leavitt said.

“The president was satisfied with the response, and he is very grateful to the men and women who provided the response for him and his wife and members of his team,” she added.

Push for ballroom

Several allies of Trump in the U.S. Senate were expected on April 27 to introduce legislation to fund construction of the ballroom in response to the shooting at the press dinner.

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Katie Britt of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri plan to push for upgrades to Trump’s proposed ballroom and the White House’s overall security infrastructure, Graham’s office said in an advisory.

Trump has argued the new ballroom, which is being challenged in court by historic preservationists, is necessary to hold large events in a safe and secure setting.

“The line of succession in this country should be able to gather freely in safety, without the fear of threats or political violence, and the White House ballroom will provide that,”Leavitt said.

An FBI agent walks up to a building next to the house associated with Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Torrance, California, on April 26.

DAVID SWANSON/REUTERS