“We are still reviewing the security procedures that allowed him to bring a weapon into this hotel,” Blanche told CBS on Sunday morning (dinner is traditionally held at the Hilton Hotel in Washington).
As more details emerged about the incident at the Washington Hilton, Blanche told NBC that the initial assessment was that authorities believed the suspect targeted administration officials, “probably also the president,” but did not provide additional information.
Administration officials, including Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, were quickly evacuated from the event after shots were fired outside the ballroom. Trump initially insisted that the event would go ahead as planned, but later, after speaking with police, he announced that it could not go ahead as planned. He announced that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
As Blanche said, by Sunday morning, the services working on the case – including the FBI, the Secret Service and local police – had executed numerous search warrants, including for “devices recovered from the suspect.” Witnesses who know the perpetrator are also being interviewed to determine his motives.
The suspect was attacked during the White House Correspondents' Dinner shortly after his arrest. Washington, April 25, 2026White House
Law enforcement agencies are analyzing the manifesto, which Cole Tomas Allen he allegedly sent to his family members minutes before the shooting. His brother notified local police in Connecticut, a White House official said. According to him, Allen announced in the manifesto that he intended to attack representatives of the US government.
Secret Service agents and Montgomery County police officers interviewed Allen's sister at her home in Rockville, near Washington. The woman confirmed that her brother bought three firearms. She also added that Allen had a tendency to make radical statements.
In a telephone interview with Fox News on Sunday morning, Trump said of the suspect: “He's a very disturbed man who hates Christians.”
According to Trump, the alleged perpetrator “did not even approach the door or attempt to get through it.” Trump wanted to continue with the evening's plans, but decided to postpone the gala after officials informed him that the hotel ballroom was no longer safe after opening the doors for an evacuation.
Federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, announced Saturday evening that the suspect would be charged on Monday with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Blanche also reported that, according to the information he had, the suspect shot a Secret Service officer who was taken to hospital. Trump announced on Saturday evening that the agent's life was saved by a “very solid bulletproof vest” and that – according to the president's last conversation with the injured man – “he's fine.”
Blanche also expressed confidence that the services will be able to ensure security during King Charles III's visit to the US in the coming week. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Sunday that “talks will continue throughout the day” with U.S. officials to determine whether and to what extent the incident “may impact the organization of the visit.”
According to six people familiar with the matter, talks are underway in the leadership circles of the US Congress about increasing security measures during the king's speech before Congress on Tuesday.
“Nothing should stand in the way of its construction,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, criticizing a lawsuit seeking to halt investment until he receives congressional approval for the $400 million construction. ballroom. An appeals court ruled earlier this month that work could continue despite a lower court's earlier order to halt it.
