Evidence shows that the accused gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents Association dinner intended to kill the president, according to the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro on Monday.
“Make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking Cabinet officials as he could,” Pirro said during a press conference Monday afternoon. “This is the kind of situation that we cannot tolerate.”
Piro said shooting suspect Cole Allen, 31, knew about the president’s schedule for the event and knew his exact whereabouts at the Washington Hilton.
"He was very much aware that the president and first lady entered the ballroom at 8 p.m.," Pirro said, adding that the gunman then made the decision to enter the ballroom.
Allen breached a security checkpoint outside the ballroom at the hotel before being tackled and subdued by law enforcement. Trump was rushed off stage unharmed.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reiterated that it was clear that the president was the intended target, along with Trump administration officials. A manifesto allegedly written by the gunman shows that he wanted to kill Trump administration officials from “highest ranking to lowest.”
Pirro pointed out that Trump announced in late March that he would be attending the event. Allen then booked a room at the Washington Hilton in early April before traveling across the country to carry out the attack.
Pirro pointed out that the shooter purchased the firearms in his possession in California, which is key to the interstate charge. The accused gunman was found to have a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol, and three knives in his possession at the time.
“Any suggestion that he wasn’t there to do harm is absurd,” Pirro said.
Blanche added that multiple firearms from his room at the hotel and residence in California have been collected.
Earlier in the day, Allen made his first appearance in federal court, where he was formally charged.
"The first count is attempted assassination of the President of the United States. This count is punishable by up to life in prison. The second count is interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony. This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. And the third count is discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, which is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum of life,” Blanche said.
Additional charges are expected, according to both Blanche and Pirro.