White House to discuss presidential security, stands by Secret Service

The official said President Trump and the White House stand by the leadership of the U.S. Secret Service after the shooting outside the hotel ballroom where the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was being held.

Wiles is expected to meet early this week with leaders of the Secret Service and the Homeland Security department to discuss "protocol and practices" for major events involving Trump, the senior official said.

The meeting will examine Saturday's security response and also look at "everything possible" to keep future events safe, the official added. 

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., was scheduled to make his first appearance in Washington federal court later Monday. He's accused of shooting a U.S. Secret Service agent as he tried to breach security at the event. 

Charges were not yet been formally filed early Monday, but U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington, said Allen would be charged with assault on a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said other charges, including attempted assassination, were possible, but that the investigation remains ongoing.

Allen left a manifesto with family members referring to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and discussing plans to target senior Trump administration officials who were present in the hotel ballroom. Blanche said his targets likely included Trump himself.

Allen booked a room at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the dinner took place, and traveled from California to Washington by train, officials said.

The shooting Saturday rattled the press dinner, a prominent event on Washington’s social calendar, sending attendees scrambling under tables and prompting law enforcement to whisk senior officials out of the room. Trump, who was scheduled to deliver remarks later in the evening, was rushed off the stage by security personnel after shots were fired.

Allen has not yet responded to the allegations. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

The suspect allegedly fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent at a checkpoint inside the hotel before being tackled and arrested, according to authorities. Video footage Trump posted online showed the suspect sprinting through a hallway outside the ballroom.

U.S. officials said the suspect was subdued just inside a security perimeter and touted his takedown as a law enforcement success. But the incident has revived concerns about the safety of Trump, who dodged two assassination attempts during his 2024 presidential campaign, and other U.S. officials.

The Secret Service agent was struck but a tactical vest stopped the shot, and the agent was released from a hospital hours later.

Allen, who authorities said was armed with a handgun and knives, in addition to the shotgun, was also taken to a local hospital to be evaluated after the shooting.