Man charged with attempted assassination of Trump in White House correspondents' dinner shooting
Source: AP
Updated 2:29 PM EDT, April 27, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and will remain at least temporarily behind bars as the case moves forward.
Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Monday to face federal charges in a chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was taken into custody after the shooting on Saturday night and sat beside his lawyers in a brief appearance Monday in Washingtons federal court.
Besides being charged with attempting to assassinate the Republican president, Allen also faces two firearms charges. He did not enter a plea.
A judge granted a prosecutors request Monday to keep Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, detained pending additional hearings. One of Allens lawyers, Tezira Abe, asked for a detention hearing and noted Allen has no criminal record. He also is presumed innocent at this time, she said.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-correspondents-dinner-shooting-suspect-d4111facf965aaaa10334eb5c12901db
pfitz59
(12,841 posts)Will the courts find enough MAGA to convict?
cstanleytech
(28,549 posts)Question is was he mentally competent? Seeing how he went about this I would say that he isn't.
LeftInTX
(34,696 posts)He was gainfully employed.
Ryan Routh tried and that guy was certified nuts. He even tried to represent himself, then tried insanity. He's serving a life sentence for peeking through Trump's Palm Beach golf club.
LeftInTX
(34,696 posts)is serving a life sentence just for peeking through the bushes!
pcdb
(129 posts)LeftInTX
(34,696 posts)"This is the most bogus thing ever"....
Ryan Wesley Routh Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Assassination of President Donald J. Trump and Assault of a Federal Law Enforcement Officer
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ryan-wesley-routh-sentenced-life-prison-attempted-assassination-president-donald-j-trump-and
I know he never fired his gun at the golf course, he was looking through a scope. Then, I believe, he then took off.
Everyone, "That's not attempted murder!!!"
I figured he would get about 10 years at the most. But he got a life sentence.
SunSeeker
(58,354 posts)LeftInTX
(34,696 posts)SunSeeker
(58,354 posts)The jury found him guilty, but they did not hand down the sentence, nor probably even know what the sentence could be. Indeed, when I served on a jury in a criminal case two years ago, we were told not to speculate or even consider what the sentence might be.
The life sentence was all Eileen Cannons doing.
Fiendish Thingy
(23,656 posts)You know, since hes just a crisis actor, or so I have read.
The Grand Illuminist
(2,054 posts)I would not doubt he would be found not guilty.
Polybius
(22,026 posts)That's not how juries are supposed to work. You simply vote on what the evidence is.
pwb
(12,776 posts)Weapons came out pointed at him and he is unharmed? Was he tackled? Poorly staged again pukes.
SunSeeker
(58,354 posts)She said one of the SS officers fired 5 shots, none of them hit Cole Allen, but one SS agent was hit with a bullet in his bullet proof vest. Blanche said Cole Allen fired one round of buckshot out of his shotgun, with the spent cartridge of that one round still in his shotgun when he was apprehended. It doesnt sound like shotgun buckshot was what hit the SS agent. And Piro and Blanche refused to say who shot the bullet that hit the SS agent, and Allen was not charged with assault on an officer. Sure looks like the agent was hit with friendly fire.
And they said Allen fell as he was running, then he was tackled and apprehended. So he did not fall because he was tackled, he was tackled after he fell.
pwb
(12,776 posts)he would have fit right in. What a shootout eh?
SunSeeker
(58,354 posts)They said Allen was running and suddenly fell, either on purpose or he just tripped. I bet thats why he missed getting hit by those 5 rounds.
underpants
(196,923 posts)I cant believe no one in the area got chipped up from a buckshot unless it was point blank into the SS officers chest.
Whip-poor-will
(401 posts)Here come's the firing squad
SunSeeker
(58,354 posts)Fuck Blanche.
Oh, and what Jeanine Piro described indicates the SS keystone copped this whole thing. One of the SS officers fired 5 shots, none of them hit Cole Allen, but one SS agent was hit with a bullet in his bullet proof vest. Blanche said Cole Allen fired one round of buckshot out of his shotgun, with the spent cartridge of that one round still in his shotgun when he was apprehended. It doesnt sound like shotgun buckshot was what hit the SS agent. And Piro and Blanche refused to say who shot the bullet that hit the SS agent, and Allen was not charged with assault on an officer. Sure looks like the agent was hit with friendly fire.
I call him Pisswig daily .
I feel so dirty
not
😑
✌🏻
PSPS
(15,358 posts)BumRushDaShow
(171,204 posts)
Bengus81
(10,281 posts)They might have got tips from those in California or relatives that he was getting in way to deep and he might take action. Trump has NEVER attended a Correspondents dinner as Pres but NOW poof,lets hold one. Hell...the FBI probably followed the guy from CA to DC and were ready knowing this guy could never make it all the way downstairs to Trump. Hell...this reminds me of Lee Harvey Oswald,they had a full dossier on this guy's life in 30 minutes after this happened.
That's my theory and I'm stickin' to it.
I think too the Fuhrer will cancel that next CD that he so adamantly claimed they would do in thirty days. They got what they wanted and were all smiles and yucking it up for a photo just thirty minutes later,they don't need another dinner.
Ponietz
(4,379 posts)As a matter of law, acts in mere preparation to commit a crime do not constitute an attempt. Its an interesting issue determining when preparation ripens into full-fledged criminal attempt. As a matter of law there was no attempt on Shitflys life.
This does not affect the attempted homicide of the SS agent and the other tangible crimes.
eppur_se_muova
(42,226 posts)He did his job.
Bmoboy
(656 posts)Or attempted murder of the hundreds of others at the dinner?
I guess they aren't as bigly special.
msongs
(73,987 posts)pecosbob
(8,450 posts)twodogsbarking
(19,120 posts)Aussie105
(8,093 posts)In a more lucid moment, Trump might question himself.
'Why are all those people trying to hurt me? Am I that much of a bad person?'
Unfortunately, Trump doesn't have lucid moments.
But he does have nightmares when the ghost of Epstein talks to him. Guaranteed.