politics
Secret Service Director Testifies on Security at White House Correspondents' Dinner Where Officer Was Shot
U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran defended the security setup at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner where a gunman shot an officer before being subdued. Critics highlighted lapses in the plan, including a police dog alert that was not followed. Court documents do not accuse the suspect of firing at the officer, contradicting some official accounts.
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A gunman armed with a shotgun breached a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last Saturday, shooting a Secret Service officer at point-blank range before being subdued inside the Washington Hilton hotel. The officer, protected by a bulletproof vest, returned fire with five shots but did not hit the suspect, who fell after hitting his knee and was arrested about 120 yards from where President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were seated.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran stated that the site was set up perfectly and he would not change the security plan. Surveillance video released by prosecutors shows the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, casing the hotel hours before the incident and a police dog alerting to him in a stairwell, though the handler pulled the dog back.
Moments later, Allen emerged with the shotgun, fired at least one round, and sprinted past agents.
Curran asserted that the wounded officer heroically returned fire while being shot in the chest, but court documents filed Wednesday reference an officer firing five times without mentioning any officer being shot or accusing Allen of striking one. A source familiar with a congressional briefing said Curran repeated this assertion to a lawmaker during questions from Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer.
The incident occurred near a stairwell leading to a ballroom with 2,600 guests, including congressional leaders and Cabinet officials. Former Secret Service agent Rich Staropoli described the situation as potentially catastrophic if Allen had reached the ballroom doors.
Critics, including Staropoli, argued that the security plan was outdated given prior assassination attempts on Trump, such as the July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where shooter Thomas Crooks fired from 130 to 150 yards away. However, former agents pointed to unsecured areas like the staircase Allen used and questioned the decision to allow Trump and other high-profile attendees at the venue amid elevated threats, including from Iranian officials.
