Suspected shooter was likely targeting Trump administration officials, Blanche says

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said he believes the suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner targeted administration officials, noting that “we are still investigating” whether President Donald Trump was specifically targeted.

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Blanche stressed that the investigation was “pretty preliminary” and said law enforcement was studying more information about the suspect, including “some writings,” and talking with people who knew him. The suspect is not cooperating with investigators, he added.

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“I kept it a little general because we believe these were administration officials,” Blanche told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker. “Obviously, President Trump is a member of the administration, its leader, but, as far as threats that may have been communicated in advance, we are still actively investigating that evidence.”

Blanche declined to provide further details about the writings, noting that the investigation only lasted about 12 hours. Allen sent writings to his family members before the attack, according to a transcript shared with NBC News by a senior administration official. The suspect criticized Trump without explicitly naming the president, and he said he was targeting administration officials but not hotel employees or guests. Allen also apologized to his parents, colleagues, students and others, saying he did not expect forgiveness.

The suspect, identified by a federal official familiar with the matter as Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, purchased his weapons legally, according to a senior law enforcement official and law enforcement documents reviewed by NBC News. Law enforcement said Saturday evening that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives.

Allen purchased a shotgun in August 2025 and a pistol in October 2023, according to records reviewed by NBC News.

Trump said during a press conference Saturday evening at the White House that he “fought like hell to stay” at the dinner after the incident, adding that the dinner would be postponed.

“We are not going to let anyone take control of our society,” he said Saturday. “We’re not going to cancel things, because we can’t do that.”

The acting attorney general said law enforcement believes the suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington, DC. The man checked into the hotel where the event took place “within the last couple of days,” he said.

Blanche also said law enforcement believes the suspect purchased the two firearms he owned at the hotel “within the last two years.”

The president and senior administration officials typically attend the Correspondents’ Dinner, although Saturday’s program was the first time Trump attended while in office.

Asked if he thought it was safe for Trump, Vice President JD Vance and administration officials to be in the same room at the same time, Blanche said “of course,” adding, “We’re not going to stop living.”

“The system worked,” he said, noting that the suspect only crossed the perimeter a few meters. “We were safe. President Trump was safe. His Secret Service agents kept him safe. We were all safe.”

Blanche said law enforcement does not currently believe any other suspects were involved in the shooting. When asked if the suspect was cooperating with investigators, Blanche said he didn’t think so.

“At this point, we don’t have anyone cooperating,” Blanche said. “I expect he will be formally charged tomorrow morning in federal court in Washington, D.C., and I hope we move forward from there.”

Blanche said she expects two charges to be filed against the suspect.

“It’s not atypical, in a case like this, there will be an assault on a federal agent,” Blanche said. “There will be a charge for discharging a firearm and attempting to kill a federal officer, and then there will potentially be charges beyond that that will arise from reviewing the evidence and whether we understand his motivations and as we continue to piece it together.”