White House Correspondents’ Dinner Suspect Bought Guns Legally, Currently Not Cooperating

Published April 26, 2026 8:38 AM PDT

New details are emerging about the suspect accused of attempting to breach security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and open fire -- and officials say he’s not making things easy.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed in an interview with CNN that the suspect -- identified as California resident Cole Allen -- traveled across the country before arriving in the nation’s capital ... allegedly going from Los Angeles to Chicago, then continuing on to D.C., apparently all via train.

Blanche says he then checked into the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the event took place, a couple of days before the incident on the 24th ... and then attempted to breach the event’s security perimeter the following night.

As for what’s happening now behind the scenes … it sounds like investigators aren’t getting much directly from the suspect himself.

Blanche says authorities have begun speaking with people who know him, but made it clear the suspect isn’t currently cooperating. “We are not viewing him as cooperating necessarily right now,” Blanche said, adding, “We’ll see what happens going forward.”

Despite the lack of cooperation, prosecutors are moving quickly as Allen is expected to be charged in federal court as early as tomorrow morning with two counts -- Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for D.C., said the suspect is currently facing two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

According to CNN, a law enforcement official says the suspected gunman legally purchased both firearms -- one in 2023 and another in 2025.

The official added that the suspect had not previously been on law enforcement’s radar, and as part of standard security procedures, authorities had run the names of individuals staying at the hotel through government databases.

Bottom line ... investigators are working to piece together motive and intent as the case rapidly develops.