Law enforcement says the man arrested outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner mailed a manifesto saying he intended to target officials from the Trump administration, prioritizing targets “from highest‑ranking to lowest,” according to a copy obtained by CBS News.
Authorities identified the suspect as Cole Allen, 31. In the manifesto, Allen said hotel staff, guests and police were not his primary targets but that he would attack them if necessary to reach administration officials, adding that he hoped it would not come to that. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Allen advanced toward a security checkpoint outside the dinner armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives. President Trump and other administration officials were escorted out, and the event was canceled.
Officials said Allen’s brother, alarmed by an email sent to family members, alerted police in Connecticut on Saturday night. Investigators later recovered additional writings at Allen’s Torrance, California, home and in his room on the 10th floor of the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held.
The emailed manifesto mixes a matter‑of‑fact tone with ironic remarks. Allen opened with a casual line acknowledging the surprise he had caused and apologized to family and acquaintances for misleading explanations he had given before the incident. He wrote that by the time readers saw the email he probably would require medical attention, referring to possible injuries as “self‑inflicted status.”
He said he intended the attack because he did not want the administration’s “crimes” to “coat [his] hands,” and although he did not name President Trump or the event explicitly, he wrote that his targets would be ranked from highest to lowest. He singled out an exception—”not including Mr. Patel,” a reference to the FBI director who attended the dinner. Allen also said he would try to avoid hitting Secret Service agents, Capitol Police or National Guard members unless necessary and added that he hoped they were wearing body armor. A Secret Service officer who was shot at the scene was later released from the hospital.
Allen wrote he planned to use buckshot rather than slugs to “minimize casualties,” because buckshot would have less penetration through walls. The manifesto also includes a series of hypothetical objections and Allen’s responses, addressing his racial background and religious beliefs as he justified his intended actions.
He criticized hotel and protective security, asserting failures in transport, hotel checkpoints and at the event itself, and claimed that an adversary could have brought heavier weapons undetected. Investigators noted that the Washington Hilton remained open to the public during the dinner and that Secret Service protection was concentrated on the specific areas used by the event, not the entire building.
After the attempt, Allen’s sister told federal agents he frequently used radical rhetoric and sometimes talked about “doing something” to address perceived injustices, officials said. The gala was attended by more than 2,500 people celebrating the First Amendment. Trump, who skipped the dinner in some prior years, attended this year and has said he would like to reschedule the event within 30 days.