Grand jury adds D.C. terrorism charge in White House dinner gunman case

A federal grand jury in Washington has tacked an attempted terrorism count onto the case against Cole Tomas Allen, the man arrested at the White House Correspondents' Dinner Association dinner in April. Allen, who already pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges, has not yet entered a plea on the new count. Court papers name a total of five counts against him.

The most serious charge remains attempting to assassinate the president of the United States. Prosecutors say a conviction could open the door to a federal terrorism sentencing enhancement — even though no federal statute broadly outlaws domestic terrorism. Instead, the new count leans on a local D.C. terrorism law.

That D.C. statute has been used before: it was deployed against Floyd Fee Corkins, the gunman convicted of attacking the Family Research Council in 2012. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia handles both federal crimes and most local adult cases, which is why it can bring both kinds of charges at once. The office is led by Jeanine Pirro, a former judge and Fox News host appointed by the president.

Prosecutors allege Allen charged through a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held, armed with a 12-gauge pump action shotgun, a .38 caliber pistol, multiple knives and daggers, and a significant amount of ammunition. In charging documents, they accuse him of attempting to kill President Donald J. Trump. Trump and Vice President JD Vance were rushed off the stage as Allen moved toward the ballroom, according to the allegations.

Federal authorities also claim Allen scheduled emails to be sent to his family, friends and former employer explaining his actions. A status conference is set for Dec. 4, with a jury trial scheduled for Sept. 7, 2027 before U.S. Judge Trevor N. McFadden.