Federal prosecutors released security camera footage Thursday showing Cole Tomas Allen, 31, charging through the Washington Hilton Hotel security checkpoint during last Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with a long gun and a sheathed knife. Allen, a part-time tutor from Torrance, California, faces charges including attempted assassination of a sitting president and agreed during a brief federal court hearing Thursday to remain jailed pending trial.
The nearly six-minute video released by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro shows Allen walking the hotel hallways the day before the attack, briefly examining the lobby layout. Security checkpoint footage shows approximately a dozen federal officers removing magnetometers when Allen emerged from a doorway and sprinted toward them. One Secret Service agent drew his weapon and fired before Allen passed the checkpoint. Sean Curran, who heads the agency’s protective operations, confirmed Thursday that the agent was struck in his bullet-resistant vest by Allen’s buckshot and returned fire five times, ruling out earlier speculation of friendly fire.
Court filings released Wednesday show Allen took a mirror selfie in his hotel room minutes before the attack, wearing a red tie, a shoulder holster, and carrying wire cutters, pliers, and a sheathed knife. Prosecutors describe an extensive pre-planning digital trail: Allen reserved his room at the Washington Hilton on April 6, approximately three weeks before the dinner, tracked Trump’s arrival in real time on the day of the attack, and traveled by train from California with his weapons. He referred to himself in written notes as a self-described “Friendly Federal Assassin” and described his targets as Trump administration officials ranked from highest to lowest. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the presidential assassination count alone.
Allen did not enter a plea during Thursday’s hearing before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya. His defense team initially argued for release but shifted strategy before the hearing. Defense lawyers noted in filings that Allen’s writings never mentioned Trump by name and characterized the government’s evidence as built on inference. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
In South Carolina, the attack has renewed scrutiny of Secret Service protocols and prompted fresh commentary from the state’s senior senator Lindsey Graham, who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Judiciary committees. Graham has been a consistent advocate for expanded security appropriations following recent threats to executive branch officials. The incident also drew reaction from SC-4 Rep. William Timmons, whose district covers Spartanburg and Greenville and who serves on the House Oversight Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal law enforcement and executive protection.
