Tipsheet

Here's the Latest From the Justice Department on the WHCD Shooting

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  April 27, 2026 3:40 PM

On Saturday, 31-year-old Cole Allen attempted to storm the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) was being held. Allen made it very clear that he was targeting members of the Trump administration, including President Trump himself. In his manifesto, Allen said he was "no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes."

Today, the Justice Department held a press conference to update the media and the country on the case.

Per Fox News, Cole is facing three counts: attempt to assassinate the President of the United States, transporting firearms across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The press conference displayed the weapons Allen allegedly brought with him, including a handgun and several knives.

Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General, said the "horrible act" was stopped by the "courage and professionalism" of law enforcement. "I want to make this clear: this man was a floor above the ballroom with hundreds of federal agents between him and the President of the United Sates," Blanche said.

"Violence has no place in civic life. It cannot and will not be used to disrupt democratic institutions or intimidate those who serve them, and it certainly cannot continue to be used against the President of the United States. We are investigating this matter fully, we will apply the law fairly, and we will ensure that accountability is swift and certain," Blanche said. "Law enforcement did not fail. They did exactly what they are trained to do. This was not an accident. It was the result, as we know now, of preparation, but the men and women who protected us that night were trained, professional, and had an enduring commitment to the rule of law."

Blanch reiterated the charges against Allen. "The first count is attempted assassination of the President of the United States. This count is punishable by up to life in prison. The second count is interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony. This is punishable by up to ten years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years, a maximum of life, and the ten years is consecutive to any other sentence imposed," he said.

Jeanine Pirro said there will be additional charges as the investigation continues. "Make no mistake: this was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was. And that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could," Pirro said. "The facts make it very clear what this intent was. You may recall that it was on March 2 that the President indicated that he would be attending this public event at the Hilton. And on April 6, that's when Cole Allen first made a hotel reservation at the Washington Hilton."

"It was on April 21 that he traveled all the way from the West Coast," Pirro continued. "He was very much aware that the President and the First Lady entered the ballroom at 8 pm and it was at 8:40 that he made the decision to rush the ballroom."

"As indicated, these are the weapons that the defendant had on his person," Pirro said. They include a shotgun, a semi-automatic, and multiple knives. "We will prove that when he purchased these guns, they were purchased in California."

"The manifesto also makes clear about his expected rules of engagement ... he says I am targeting the administration officials, they are my targets, and I am prioritizing from the top down, the highest-ranking to the lowest," Pirro said. She noted the manifesto said Allen indicated he would engage with anyone who tried to prevent him from getting to President Trump.

"Today, we have Cole Allen, another individual, charged with crossing state lines coming from California with a firearm with the intent to commit a felony here in the District," Pirro said. "Let this be a message to anyone who thinks that Washington D.C. is the place to act out political violence, and if you are willing to do with a firearm and cross state lines, we will find you, we will track your steps ... and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law."

She called the act of attempted violence "anti-democratic at its core."

Kash Patel said this shooting hits differently. "We were all there. Many of you were there, many of you watching were there as well," he said. 

"This FBI is grateful to the United States Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and our interagency partners, including the Metropolitan Police Department, for jumping swiftly into action," Patel said.

"Throughout the evening, we immediately began working with our Department of Justice partners to find the evidence necessary ... and enter into the suspect's room at the Washington Hilton successfully and lawfully and obtain the relevant evidence," Patel continued. "We were coordinating a national-scale investigation that literally spanned from coast to coast."

Interviews of those on-scene are ongoing, Patel said, noting there were thousands of attendees at the WHCD.

"Any piece of information is information we want to have and must receive," Patel said.

"The FBI flipped on its enterprise-wide response to this critical incident," Patel said. "We dispatched fixed-wing assets across the country so that we could immediately transport evidence that was acquired in California and Connecticut and send it to Quantico for analysis."

"America should be proud that this FBI acted with the urgency that was needed for the moment that we had to answer," Patel said.