New court documents provide more details about a man now charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.A criminal affidavit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday include a text file the alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, entitled “apology and explanation” that investigators say he scheduled to send out to family and friends around the time of the attempted attack.According to the affidavit, Allen sent an email to family members and a former employer that said “I wish I could have said anything earlier, but doing so would have made none of this possible. My sincerest apologies for all the trouble I’ve caused. (scheduled send)-Cole.” His attachment to that email included, in part:Hello everybody!So I may have given a lot of people a surprise today. Let me start off by apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused. I apologize to my parents for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for “Most Wanted.”I apologize to my colleagues and students for saying I had a personal emergency (by the time anyone reads this, I probably most certainly DO need to go to the ER, but can hardly call that not a self-inflicted status.)I apologize to all of the people I traveled next to, all the workers who handled my luggage, and all the other non-targeted people at the hotel who I put in danger simply by being near.I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure. I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.On to why I did any of this: I am a citizen of the United States of America.What my representatives do reflects on me.And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.(Well, to be completely honest, I was no longer willing a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I’ve had to do something about it.)While I’m discussing this, I’ll also go over my expected rules of engagement (probably in a terrible format, but I’m not military so too bad.)Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowestSecret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible (aka, I hope they’re wearing body armor because center mass with shotguns messes up people who *aren’t*Hotel Security: not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)Capitol Police: same as Hotel SecurityNational Guard: same as Hotel SecurityHotel Employees: not targets at allGuests: not targets at allIn order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.The affidavit says Allen signed his email “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”Read the full affidavit here.The affidavit says that Allen made a hotel reservation for three nights (April 24-26) at the Washington Hilton weeks after Trump announced that he would attend the dinner. Investigators say Allen left his home near Los Angeles, California, on April 21 and traveled by train to Chicago, Illinois, arriving on April 23. He then boarded a train in Chicago, which arrived in Washington, D.C. on April 24.Video posted by Trump Allen, who authorities say was armed with guns and knives, running past a security barricade as Secret Service agents run toward him. Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover.Trump was rushed off the stage and guests were seen ducking beneath their tables. Allen was charged Monday in federal court in Washington and did not enter a plea. A lawyer with the federal defender’s office who’s representing Allen notes he has no criminal record and is presumed innocent. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New court documents provide more details about a man now charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
A criminal affidavit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday include a text file the alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, entitled “apology and explanation” that investigators say he scheduled to send out to family and friends around the time of the attempted attack.
According to the affidavit, Allen sent an email to family members and a former employer that said “I wish I could have said anything earlier, but doing so would have made none of this possible. My sincerest apologies for all the trouble I’ve caused. (scheduled send)-Cole.”
His attachment to that email included, in part:
Hello everybody!
So I may have given a lot of people a surprise today. Let me start off by apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused. I apologize to my parents for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for “Most Wanted.”
I apologize to my colleagues and students for saying I had a personal emergency (by the time anyone reads this, I probably most certainly DO need to go to the ER, but can hardly call that not a self-inflicted status.)
I apologize to all of the people I traveled next to, all the workers who handled my luggage, and all the other non-targeted people at the hotel who I put in danger simply by being near.
I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure. I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.
On to why I did any of this: I am a citizen of the United States of America.
What my representatives do reflects on me.
And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.
(Well, to be completely honest, I was no longer willing a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I’ve had to do something about it.)
While I’m discussing this, I’ll also go over my expected rules of engagement (probably in a terrible format, but I’m not military so too bad.)
Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest
Secret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible (aka, I hope they’re wearing body armor because center mass with shotguns messes up people who *aren’t*
Hotel Security: not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)
Capitol Police: same as Hotel Security
National Guard: same as Hotel Security
Hotel Employees: not targets at all
Guests: not targets at all
In order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)
I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.
The affidavit says Allen signed his email “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”
Read the full affidavit here.
The affidavit says that Allen made a hotel reservation for three nights (April 24-26) at the Washington Hilton weeks after Trump announced that he would attend the dinner. Investigators say Allen left his home near Los Angeles, California, on April 21 and traveled by train to Chicago, Illinois, arriving on April 23. He then boarded a train in Chicago, which arrived in Washington, D.C. on April 24.
Video posted by Trump Allen, who authorities say was armed with guns and knives, running past a security barricade as Secret Service agents run toward him. Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover.
Trump was rushed off the stage and guests were seen ducking beneath their tables. Allen was charged Monday in federal court in Washington and did not enter a plea. A lawyer with the federal defender’s office who’s representing Allen notes he has no criminal record and is presumed innocent.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
