Gunman who broke into dinner with Trump sent a manifesto before — here's what was in it
The man who started the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association gala at the Washington Hilton hotel, where Donald Trump was also present, sent his manifesto to Trump's family 10 minutes before the attack. Its text was published by The New York Post.
Donald and Melania Trump at the reception. Photo: Trump's press service
The suspect is named Cole Thomas Allen. He is a 31-year-old teacher and game developer from California, who had not previously been on the police radar. In the manifesto, he called himself a "friendly federal assassin" and explained his motives.
"I am a citizen of the United States of America. What my representatives do reflects on me. And I no longer wish to allow a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to cover my hands with his crimes. (Well, to be perfectly honest, I stopped wanting this a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I've had to do something about it.)" – the manifesto states.
Further, the man described the "rules of engagement." It notes that his targets are Trump administration officials: "priority from highest rank to lowest." He did not intend to harm hotel guests or staff. However, he writes that if it were necessary to reach his targets, other people would also be harmed — "on the grounds that most people chose to attend the speech of a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are therefore accomplices."
The shooter also wrote about the insufficient security at the reception.
"What the hell is the Secret Service doing? (...) Well, I expected CCTV cameras at every turn, wiretaps in hotel rooms, armed agents every 10 feet, metal detectors at every corner. What I got (who knows, maybe they're messing with me!) is nothing. No damn security. Not during transport. Not in the hotel. Not at the event itself.
The only thing I immediately noticed when entering the hotel was a sense of arrogance. I walk in with multiple weapons, and not a single person there even considers that I might be a threat.'"
The attacker was apprehended on the spot.
Authorities confirmed that Allen had purchased two pistols and a shotgun and stored them at his parents' house. He regularly practiced at a shooting range.
The Secret Service interviewed Allen's sister, who lives in Rockville, Maryland, and learned that he frequently expressed radical political views and spoke about doing "something" to fix the world's problems.
Allen's brother reported the manifesto to the police department.
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