The preliminary hearing has started for the individual charged with attempting to assault senior administration officials during Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The 31-year-old individual, Cole Tomas Allen, faces accusations of breaching Secret Service security while armed with a shotgun, pistol, and knives during Saturday’s dinner. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and several important cabinet officials were dining on another floor of the Washington Hilton.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, announced over the weekend that Allen would be charged with two offenses, one of which includes assaulting a federal officer with a lethal weapon. A federal officer was struck in a protective vest during the gunfire exchange on Saturday night and has since been discharged from the hospital.
Officials stated that Allen took a train from California to DC, where he served as a part-time tutor.
In a document that investigators claim Allen sent to his relatives on Saturday, he expressed frustration towards the administration, mocked the Secret Service for poor security at the hotel, and stated he did not “anticipate forgiveness.”