President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that an armed suspect who breached security at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had released a manifesto expressing anti-Christian hate. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was taken into custody after law enforcement reported he ran through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night and exchanged gunfire with authorities.
Just moments before the attack, Allen sent family members a note apologizing to his parents, colleagues, students, bystanders, and others for what he was about to do. The account is based on a transcript of Allen’s writings provided by a senior administration official.
“I don’t expect forgiveness,” Allen wrote. “Again, my sincere apologies.”
In the note, Allen criticized Trump without mentioning him by name and expressed concerns about lax security at the hotel, stating he had expected more protections. A senior administration official reported that Allen’s brother contacted the New London Police Department in Connecticut after receiving the note. The department was reached at approximately 10:49 p.m. EDT, just over two hours after the shooting, and then notified federal law enforcement. Authorities interviewed the caller.
Allen’s sister informed the Secret Service and police in Montgomery County, Maryland, following the shooting that her brother had made radical statements and referred to a plan to do “something” to address problems in the world.
During an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump said he was aware of the manifesto and the phone call received by New London police. “Well, I heard about the London situation, and I wish they would have told us about it a little bit,” Trump remarked. “But it is what it is, you know? … But I thought Secret Service and law enforcement including D.C. police was great. And I would be the first to complain if they weren’t, believe me.”
“They were looking at me probably more than anybody else.”
“The guy is a sick guy when you read his manifesto. He hates Christians. That’s one thing for sure, he hates Christians, a hatred. And I think his sister or his brother, actually, was complaining about it.”
“You know, they were even complaining to law enforcement. So, he was a very troubled guy.”
Trump added that investigators had “some pretty good information” about the suspect’s motive. “He had a lot of hatred in his heart for quite a while,” Trump said. “And he just … it was a religious thing, it was strongly anti-Christian.”
“And I don’t know if you’ve gotten it, it just got released, the manifesto. … He’s got some big problems with the rest of his life. Very bad situation.”
“His family knew that he had difficulty. His family seemed to be, I think, they spent a lot of time with his family.”
“His family says he had big difficulty. Maybe they should have reported him a little bit more strongly, probably. But it’s a hard thing to do, I guess.”
This reporting was contributed by Michael Katz, a journalist with over 30 years of experience in news and politics.
