Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche disclosed that investigators believe the gunman at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was aiming for administration officials, though he cautioned the probe into whether President Donald Trump himself was a specific target remains active and incomplete.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Blanche described the investigation as "quite preliminary" roughly 12 hours after the incident. He said law enforcement was examining "some writings" from the suspect and conducting interviews with people who knew him, but noted that the suspect is not cooperating with authorities.
"I kept it a little general because we do believe it was administration officials," Blanche told moderator Kristen Welker. "Obviously, President Trump is a member of the administration, the head of it, but as far as exacting threats that may have been communicated beforehand, we're still actively investigating that evidence."
The suspect has been identified by a federal official as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. Law enforcement confirmed he purchased his firearms legally and arrived at the dinner venue armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
According to Blanche, Allen traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago before arriving in Washington, D.C. He checked into the hotel hosting the event within the last day or two and obtained the two firearms he carried at the dinner within the past couple of years.
The shooting marked the first Correspondents' Association dinner Trump attended while in office. During a Saturday night press conference, Trump said he "fought like hell to stay" at the dinner and vowed the event would be rescheduled. "We're not going to let anybody take over our society," he said. "We're not going to cancel things out, because we can't do that."
Blanche defended the security posture and response, saying the suspect breached the perimeter by only a few feet before being stopped. "The system worked," he stated. "We were safe. President Trump was safe. His secret service agents kept him safe. All of us were safe."
When asked whether it remained appropriate for Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other top officials to gather in one location, Blanche responded directly: "Of course. We're not going to stop living."
Blanche said law enforcement does not currently suspect additional perpetrators. The suspect faced formal charges expected to be filed Monday morning in federal court in Washington, D.C. Blanche anticipated two primary charges: assault of a federal officer and discharging a firearm while attempting to kill a federal officer, with potential additional charges pending as investigators move through evidence review and work to establish motive.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The speed with which Blanche pinned down administration officials as the target, combined with his refusal to rule out Trump specifically, suggests the government knows more than it's saying and expects answers soon."
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