Cole Allen, believing himself to be like the action hero “Rambo,” armed himself heavily with the intention of assassinating President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, according to DC’s top law enforcement official’s revelations on Sunday.
Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, clarified that it was not a case of friendly fire but Allen, aged 31, who shot a Secret Service officer during his attack on the Washington Hilton in the previous month. Pirro expressed confidence that her team could prove the “brilliant Caltech graduate” had planned to kill Trump.
“Clearly, the president is a target. And make no mistake, it is not just the manifesto. It is his actions,” Pirro stated on CNN’s “State of the Union,” discussing Allen’s alleged manifesto, where the mechanical engineering graduate and former NASA intern outlined violent plans and referred to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin.”
“This guy thought he was Rambo,” said Pirro, who was present with other administration officials at the dinner during the shooting.
“He was armed to the teeth.
“And he takes a picture of himself. He is smug, he is proud, and he is focused on what he’s doing,” she mentioned, pointing to selfies the suspect took in his hotel before the incident.
Authorities reported that Allen, the son of a church leader, was equipped with a shotgun, handgun, and knives when he breached the security perimeter, a floor above the ballroom where Trump, administration officials, and hundreds of reporters gathered on April 25.
The suspect’s alleged manifesto, first disclosed by The Post, outlined targets including “Administration officials (not including [FBI chief] Mr. [Kash] Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
Although the manifesto did not mention Trump by name, it included a line stating, “And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
When asked if this referred to Trump, Pirro expressed uncertainty on Sunday.
“You’re going to have to ask him that. I don’t really care,” she remarked, referring to Allen.
“I think if you read the manifesto … it is very clear who the intended target is. It is very clear, based upon the fact that as soon as this president said that he was going to be at the Hilton for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on March 2nd, [Allen] then made the decision to hatch the plan,” Pirro stated.
“I can tell you, we will be able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt,” she added. “The one issue that people might think about is, is he insane. He is far from insane. He is brilliant. He has a master’s degree. He worked at a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.”
Questions arose regarding who shot the Secret Service officer in his bulletproof vest, causing a minor injury.
Initially, some observers speculated it might have been friendly fire. Officials claimed that a Secret Service agent fired five rounds when Allen breached the security checkpoint.
Pirro was adamant that Allen was the shooter.
When asked if federal authorities determined who shot the agent, Pirro responded on Sunday, “We have.
“There’s video of the defendant shooting at the Secret Service agent. We now can establish that a pellet from the buckshot from the defendant’s Mossberg pump-action shotgun was intertwined with the vest of the Secret Service officer.
“It is definitively his bullet,” she confirmed, referring to Allen.
Allen is facing charges of attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony.
He was arraigned last week and did not enter a plea at that time.
Pirro was present at the Washington Hilton during the shooting.
