Federal investigators say the man accused of exchanging gunfire with law enforcement at Saturday’s White House Correspondents Association dinner is not cooperating as the investigation continues. The incident prompted a rapid evacuation of President Donald Trump from the Washington Hilton ballroom after shots were fired.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the case Sunday during CNN’s “State of the Union,” telling host Dana Bash, “We are not viewing him as cooperating necessarily right now, although we will see what happens going forward,”
Multiple outlets identified the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California. Following the incident, President Trump posted a photo on his Truth Social account showing the suspect shirtless, surrounded by law enforcement and lying on the ground with his arms behind his back.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Saturday that the suspect is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday. He faces two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
Blanche said additional charges remain possible as investigators continue to review evidence. “The way that these charges work, a lot of the charges that he could be charged with depends on us understanding his motive, his premeditation [and] what he wanted to do,” Blanche told CNN. “And that requires us to go through the evidence and develop a case, which the FBI is working on now.”
Blanche also said the suspect could “absolutely” face a charge of attempting to assassinate Trump, who was escorted out of the venue by Secret Service agents shortly after the shooting began.
Interim Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffrey Carroll said one Secret Service officer was struck in the vest during the exchange of gunfire and transported to a hospital in “good spirits.” Authorities said the suspect was not hit by gunfire but was also taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Blanche said investigators have already spoken with individuals who knew the suspect and are reviewing electronic devices seized through search warrants executed by the FBI, along with local and state law enforcement agencies. “We’re still looking to try to understand a motive,” Blanche said. “From our preliminary investigation, it does appear the suspect was targeting members of the [Trump] administration. I don’t want to go beyond that because we don’t have specifics yet about particular members of the administration, except that we do understand that that was his goal and his target.”
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