Correspondents’ Dinner Shooter Used ‘Anti-Trump and Anti-Christian Rhetoric’: Report

LEFT: (Photo by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via AP) RIGHT: (Screenshot via @realDonaldTrump)

Cole Tomas Allen, the California man authorities have detained for opening fire inside of the Washington, D.C. hotel where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was being held on Saturday evening, used “anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric” on social media, according to CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs.

“The suspect’s writings under review by investigators stated he wanted to specifically target administration officials, a senior U.S. official told CBS News. Authorities found anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on the suspect’s social media accounts, the official said,” reported Jacobs. “Allen sent some of his writings to members of his family before the attempted attack on Saturday, and one of them alerted police about the writings. The writings sent to family members apparently did not specifically mention the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”

Family members told investigators that Allen made frequent references to a plan to do “something” and practiced with his firearms at a shooting range. The senior official who spoke to Jacobs “said Allen was part of a group called ‘The Wide Awakes’ and attended a ‘No Kings’ protest in California.”

Authorities have indicated that they have no evidence yet that anyone else was involved in Saturday’s attack. Trump called Allen a “lone wolf” during a Saturday evening press conference.

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