Cole Tomas Allen Sent Manifesto Targeting Trump Officials, Spared FBI Director Kash Patel

A gunman identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, attempted to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association event at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., and investigators are now focused on a manifesto he sent to family members minutes before the shooting.

“- Cole Tomas Allen sent a 1,052-word manifesto to family members minutes before storming a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton”

American Kahani

The Times of India reported that Allen compiled a “1000-word manifesto” in which he listed intended targets and singled out FBI director Kash Patel as the one Trump administration official he would spare.

American Kahani

Reuters and other outlets cited by People described the manifesto as a written document in which “The suspect’s written manifesto clearly stated he wanted to target administration officials,” and People added that Allen’s brother told local police that Allen sent the writings to his family minutes before the shooting.

The Guardian said acting US attorney general Todd Blanche told TV that investigators “do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration,” and Politico reported Blanche said law enforcement was investigating how a suspect got a firearm into the venue.

Multiple outlets described the suspect’s self-identification as “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen,” and the Daily Beast and NDTV both reported that Allen referred to himself in those terms.

According to the Times of India, Allen exchanged gunfire with US Secret Service agents outside the Washington Hilton on Saturday night before being taken into custody, and Washington DC Metropolitan Police said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.

The most discussed detail in Allen’s manifesto is that it named a broad set of Trump administration officials as targets while explicitly excluding FBI director Kash Patel.

The American Kahani report said Allen sent a “1,052-word manifesto” to family members minutes before storming a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, and that the document “named FBI Director Kash Patel as the sole Trump administration official he did not plan to kill.”

Hindustan Times

The Daily Beast similarly wrote that “Allen referred to himself as the “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen,” and outlined his plan to kill Donald Trump and his top administration officials, with the notable exception of Patel,” and it quoted the manifesto line: “Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”

NDTV also highlighted the same exclusion, stating Allen wrote: “Administration officials (not including [FBI Director Kash] Patel): they are targets, prioritised from highest-ranking to lowest,” and it added that “The reason why Allen chose to exclude FBI Director Kash Patel from his list has not been made clear.”

The Guardian described the manifesto’s target list as ranked from highest to lowest priority with “Trump administration officials at the top,” and it said an official familiar with the matter told the Guardian that the manifesto published by the Post was authentic.

Even as outlets focused on the Patel carve-out, multiple reports emphasized that no explanation was provided for the exception, with American Kahani writing “No reason was given for the exception” and the Daily Beast noting “It’s unclear why he made an exception for Patel.”

Acting attorney general Todd Blanche’s comments have centered on both motive and the security breakdown that allowed the suspect to get so close to the event.

“A 31-year-old Californian part-time teacher arrived at one of Washington's most high-profile annual events with a shotgun, a handgun, several knives, and a 1,052-word plan to kill the President of the United States”

International Business Times UK

The Guardian quoted Blanche saying investigators “do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration,” and Politico reported Blanche told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that law enforcement was still understanding “the security protocols that led to him being being able to have firearms in that hotel.”

Politico also said Blanche told ABC’s “This Week” that he expected more information on the suspect’s firearms “in the coming days,” and it reported that on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Blanche said law enforcement believed the suspect was targeting administration officials “likely including the president.”

Multiple outlets described the suspect as not cooperating with law enforcement, and Politico said Blanche told CBS that the suspect “is not cooperating with law enforcement, he said.”

On charges and next steps, Politico reported that US attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Saturday night that the suspect would be charged in court Monday with assaulting a federal officer using a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

People added that Allen, 31, “will face at least two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers,” and it said the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment.

Trump publicly addressed the manifesto and its language, while other reporting tied the document to religious and political grievances.

SMH.au reported that President Donald Trump confirmed the manifesto’s existence and said it showed the suspect was a “sick” and “very troubled guy” who hated Christians, quoting Trump: “He had a lot of hatred in his heart for quite a while,” and “It was a religious thing, it was strongly anti-Christian.”

New York Post

Politico reported that Trump initially insisted the show would go on but later said he’d been told by law enforcement the event could not continue as planned, and it said Trump told Heinrich that the suspected shooter “never even came close to getting by the doors or getting through the doors.”

The Times of India described Allen’s manifesto as including a line where he wrote he was “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” and NDTV and the New York Post both quoted Allen’s Christian framing of “Turning the other cheek” as “not Christian behaviour; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.”

The Guardian included additional manifesto language, stating it said “Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes,” and it also quoted Allen’s “I am a citizen of the United States of America” line.

In parallel, the Daily Beast reported that Trump became hostile when interviewer Norah O’Donnell quoted the part in which Allen allegedly said he would no longer tolerate a “rapist and paedophile,” and it quoted Trump: “I’m not a rapist, I didn’t rape anybody.”

The reporting describes immediate impacts on the event itself, on Secret Service personnel, and on the legal process that will follow Allen’s custody.

“Allen wrote that his “targets” were “Administration officials (not including [FBI Director Kash] Patel)… prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest” in the unhinged missive that went out about 10 minutes before the shooting Saturday night, two US officials said”

New York Post

Politico said administration officials including Trump and Vice President JD Vance were quickly evacuated from the venue after shots were heard outside the ballroom, and it reported that the gala’s planned events were later canceled.

SMH.au

It also said Trump later told reporters the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days, and it described law enforcement executing search warrants, including on “devices recovered from the suspect,” while “actively talking to witnesses that knew him.”

The Times of India said a law enforcement officer was struck during the exchange of gunfire and that the officer was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and was expected to recover fully, and it also said Allen sustained a knee injury during the tackle and was taken to a hospital before being placed in federal custody.

People similarly said Allen injured a Secret Service agent during the annual event and that he will face at least two counts, while Politico reported that Blanche said there “could be” more federal charges beyond the two initial charges.

The Guardian reported that investigators were looking into anti-Trump sentiment as a motive and that the manifesto was published in full by the New York Post, while it also said the New London police department was contacted at 10.49 pm by an individual who wanted to share information related to it.