CBS News uncovers new details in alleged Trump assassination attempt at dinner

A security failure at the Washington Hilton lasted seconds, not minutes. Federal authorities say Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, forced his way past a Secret Service checkpoint outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, while nearly 2,600 guests were inside and President Donald Trump was attending.

The timeline was stark. CBS News reported the breach at 8:34:29 p.m. Eastern, then gunshots in the ballroom four seconds later at 8:34:33 p.m. By then, Allen was allegedly armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were evacuated, and no attendees were seriously injured.

Investigators say the attack had been in motion for weeks. Court records show Allen reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6 for April 24 through April 26, then traveled by train from near Los Angeles to Chicago and on to Washington, D.C., arriving about 1 p.m. on April 24 before checking in later that day. Hotel surveillance, officials said, showed Allen leaving his 10th-floor room dressed in black and carrying the weapons in a black bag.

The Justice Department said Allen was arraigned on April 27 and charged with attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Prosecutors later said video released by the department appeared to show Allen sprinting through the checkpoint with a shotgun, and they said there was no evidence the Secret Service officer was hit by friendly fire.

By May 3, prosecutors said buckshot from Allen’s Mossberg pump-action shotgun was embedded in the officer’s ballistic vest. The officer survived because of the vest, though authorities said at least one round struck him. The incident now reads as more than a split-second intrusion. It points to how quickly an armed suspect was able to reach a protected perimeter at one of Washington’s most tightly watched political gatherings.

Investigators also said Allen left behind a written manifesto that targeted Trump administration officials and that his social media accounts contained anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called Allen an “alleged assassin,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Allen traveled to Washington to assassinate Trump and target administration members, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said there was “no room” in the city for political violence. The episode has intensified scrutiny of presidential security and the vulnerability of major political events in the capital.