By Mark Tanos
Cole Allen dubbed himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” in a manifesto he fired off to relatives roughly 10 minutes before storming a security checkpoint at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The document, which a family member provided to law enforcement, outlined Allen’s plan to target Trump administration officials in order of rank while carving out an exception for FBI Director Kash Patel, The New York Post (NYP) reported. “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes,” Allen wrote in the manifesto, according to the NYP.
Allen noted in the document that he selected buckshot instead of slugs to lower the risk of rounds passing through walls, the NYP reported. He expressed hope that bystander casualties could be avoided but indicated he would push past other attendees to reach his intended targets. (RELATED: Suspected Shooter At White House Correspondents Dinner Identified As California Teacher)
The 31-year-old also taunted the Washington Hilton’s security posture in the manifesto, claiming he walked into the hotel carrying multiple weapons without drawing any suspicion, according to the NYP.
After receiving the writings, Allen’s brother contacted law enforcement in New London, Connecticut, a U.S. official told the NYP. Secret Service agents who later sat down with Allen’s sister in Rockville, Maryland, learned he had a pattern of extreme political rhetoric and frequently talked about doing “something” to fix the world’s problems, the Post reported.
Allen holds a mechanical engineering degree from Caltech and a master’s in computer science from Cal State Dominguez Hills, CBS News reported. He acquired a shotgun in August 2025 and had a pistol dating to a 2023 purchase. He rode a train from Los Angeles through Chicago to Washington and booked a room at the Hilton one night ahead of the dinner, according to CBS.
FEC filings show Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic political action committee backing Kamala Harris’ 2024 White House bid, CBS reported. Relatives told investigators he was a member of “The Wide Awakes” and had joined a “No Kings” rally in California.
