Presumptuous Politics

President Donald Trump has confirmed that Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old Los Angeles resident identified as the shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, allegedly left behind a manifesto in which he expressed hostility toward Christians.

 

In an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing,” Trump described Allen as a “sick guy,” noting that the suspect’s own family had previously attempted to warn law enforcement about his radicalizing views.

“When you read his manifesto, he hates ‌Christians —that’s one thing for sure. He hates Christians, a hatred,” the president said.

The manifesto, which was reportedly shared with his family members via email just minutes before the attack, framed Allen’s motives as a moral necessity.

 

“Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes,” the manifesto read, according to a law enforcement official.

His brother alerted New London, Connecticut police after receiving it minutes before the shooting occurred. In it, Allen allegedly referred to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin.”

The document reportedly outlined plans to target administration officials, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest. Notably, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel was omitted from the list.

 

Additionally, the manifesto mocked the “insane” lack of security at the hotel where the event was held.

“Like, the one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance,” the manifesto reportedly said. “I ​walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”

According to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, Allen was carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives when he stormed a security checkpoint on the lobby level. One Secret Service officer was struck in the chest during the ensuing struggle but was saved by his ballistic vest.

 

Allen is expected to be charged in federal court on Monday with assault on a federal officer and attempting to kill a federal official.