WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a manifesto attributed to Cole Allen, the 31-year-old suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting, he identifies as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” who had a “real opportunity” kill “Administration officials.” Allen remains in federal custody.
“What my representatives do reflects on me,” Allen allegedly wrote in a manifesto released by the New York Post on Sunday. “And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
Allen, of Torrance, California, was arrested at the scene Saturday night after he allegedly charged a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives. He opened fire, striking a Secret Service officer who was saved by a bulletproof vest. President Trump and other officials were evacuated unharmed.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro at a presser less than three hours after the assassination attempt, shared that Allen is initially being charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Additional charges are expected.
In his manifesto, Allen referred to his BlueSky social media handle “coldForce.” It began by apologizing to his parents, colleagues, students, fellow travelers, hotel workers and guests for deceiving them and placing them in danger. He expressed regret for claiming to be going for a job interview and a personal emergency, and for endangering non-targeted people simply by being in their presence—in apparent attempt to distance his associates from his actions.
“I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure,” Allen wrote.
He portrayed himself as a reluctant but principled humane assassin and laid out “rules of engagement” to minimize casualties, naming administration officials — excluding FBI Director “Mr. Patel” — as primary targets ranked from highest- to lowest-ranking.
Secret Service agents were targets “only if necessary” and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible. Hotel security, Capitol Police and National Guard were not targets unless they were to fire first, he wrote. Hotel employees and guests were not targets at all. Allen said he chose buckshot rather than slugs “to minimize casualties” because of less penetration through walls—again all to portray himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin.”
He added that he would go through attendees if absolutely necessary, on the grounds that most “chose to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit,” but hoped it would not come to that.
Allen’s political rhetoric aligned with themes commonly voiced by left-wing, Democratic and progressive activists by referencing victims of alleged administration abuses including people “raped in a detention camp,” a “fisherman executed without trial,” a “schoolkid blown up,” a “child starved” and a “teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration.” All of which he did not present any examples tying to such assertions.
Allen framed his assassination plot as a defense of the rule of law, stating the United States “are ruled by the law, not by any one or several people.”
The manifesto contained an “objection” and “rebuttal” section where Allen is in back-and-forth moral dilemma with himself to justify his crimes—similar to that of Gollum’s split-personality struggle between his original persona and the corrupted persona in Lord of the Rings.
To the Christian principle of “turning the other cheek,” Allen responded that it applies only to personal oppression, not standing by while others are oppressed, which he called complicity. He dismissed timing concerns by saying the world “isn’t about” the objector and that crimes cannot be ignored for convenience. On not getting “them all,” he wrote, “Gotta start somewhere.” To the biblical “yield unto Caesar,” he countered that unlawful orders need not be obeyed.
In addressing his own half-Black, half-White identity, Allen wrote he saw “no one else picking up the slack” in an apparent ding against the mainly older, White-filled No-Kings “resistance” movements against the Trump administration.
Allen pointedly criticized the U.S. Secret Service in a postscript, calling the apparent lack of security “insane” incompetence born of arrogance.
He said he walked into the hotel with multiple weapons unnoticed, observed no security cameras, bugged rooms, armed agents nor metal detectors, and noted that security was focused outside on protesters rather than guests who had checked in earlier.
“If I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed shit,” Allen wrote. He hoped the lapse would be corrected under a future “competent leadership.”
The manifesto closed with thanks to his family, church, friends, colleagues and students “for your love,” “companionship,” “positivity and professionalism” and “enthusiasm and love of learning” over his 31 years.
Allen has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech and Masters of Science in Computer Science from California State University-Dominguez Hills. He is a part-time teacher at C2 Education and an Indie Game Developer.
Caltech—California Institute of Technology— is a world-renowned private research university and one of the most difficult to get into with a 2.3% to 3.8% acceptance rate of 220-250 students per year. It’s one of the smallest and most elite STEM-focused institutions in the world, with a laser focus on science, engineering, and technology. At $94,000 per year (tuition, fees, housing, food, and books), the average student SAT score is 1530-1580 or ACT 35-36, with an average GPA of 4.0.
Washington lawmakers’ responses to latest assassination attempt
Washington state lawmakers on social media responded with a call to civility following the attempted assassinations of White House officials at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
Gov. Bob Ferguson thanks law enforcement for keeping everyone safe and says “Violence has no place in our democracy”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-WA03., writes “Please stop trying to murder the president.”
Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-WA05, calls the incident “another stark reminder of the danger of radicalism and extreme rhetoric” and prays for the safety of President Donald Trump.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., says she is relieved attendees are safe and thanks law enforcement and first responders; and
Rep. Adam Smith, D-WA09, praises law enforcement for acting swiftly to protect the president, vice president, first lady, Cabinet members and others.
Manifesto of Cole Allen in its entirety
Hello everybody!
So I may have given a lot of people a surprise today. Let me start off by apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused.
I apologize to my parents for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for “Most Wanted.”
I apologize to my colleagues and students for saying I had a personal emergency (by the time anyone reads this, I probably most certainly DO need to go to the ER, but can hardly call that not a self-inflicted status.)
I apologize to all of the people I traveled next to, all the workers who handled my luggage, and all the other non-targeted people at the hotel who I put in danger simply by being near.
I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure.
I don’t expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies.
On to why I did any of this:
I am a citizen of the United States of America.
What my representatives do reflects on me.
And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.
(Well, to be completely honest, I was no longer willing a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I’ve had to do something about it.)
While I’m discussing this, I’ll also go over my expected rules of engagement (probably in a terrible format, but I’m not military so too bad.)
Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest
Secret Service: they are targets only if necessary, and to be incapacitated non-lethally if possible (aka, I hope they’re wearing body armor because center mass with shotguns messes up people who *aren’t*
Hotel Security: not targets if at all possible (aka unless they shoot at me)
Capitol Police: same as Hotel Security
National Guard: same as Hotel Security
Hotel Employees: not targets at all
Guests: not targets at all
In order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls)
I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.
Rebuttals to objections:
Objection 1: As a Christian, you should turn the other cheek.
Rebuttal: Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial. I’m not a schoolkid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration.
Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.
Objection 2: This is not a convenient time for you to do this.
Rebuttal: I need whoever thinks this way to take a couple minutes and realize that the world isn’t about them. Do you think that when I see someone raped or murdered or abused, I should walk on by because it would be “inconvenient” for people who aren’t the victim?
This was the best timing and chance of success I could come up with.
Objection 3: You didn’t get them all.
Rebuttal: Gotta start somewhere.
Objection 4: As a half-black, half-white person, you shouldn’t be the one doing this.
Rebuttal: I don’t see anyone else picking up the slack
Objection 5: Yield unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.
Rebuttal: The United States of America are ruled by the law, not by any one or several people. In so far as representatives and judges do not follow the law, no one is required to yield them anything so unlawfully ordered.
I would also like to extend my appreciation to a great many people since I will not be likely to be able to talk with them again (unless the Secret Service is *astoundingly* incompetent.)
Thank you to my family, both personal and church, for your love over these 31 years.
Thank you to my friends, for your companionship over many years.
Thank you to my colleagues over many jobs, for your positivity and professionalism.
Thank you to my students for your enthusiasm and love of learning.
Thank you to the many acquaintances I’ve met, in person and online, for short interactions and long-term relationships, for your perspectives and inspiration.
Thank you all for everything.
Sincerely,
Cole “coldForce” “Friendly Federal Assassin” Allen
PS: Ok now that all the sappy stuff is done, what the hell is the Secret Service doing? Sorry, gonna rant a bit here and drop the formal tone.
Like, I expected security cameras at every bend, bugged hotel rooms, armed agents every 10 feet, metal detectors out the wazoo.
What I got (who knows, maybe they’re pranking me!) is nothing.
No damn security.
Not in transport.
Not in the hotel.
Not in the event.
Like, the one thing that I immediately noticed walking into the hotel is the sense of arrogance.
I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.
The security at the event is all outside, focused on protestors and current arrivals, because apparently no one thought about what happens if someone checks in the day before.
Like, this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again.
Like, if I was an Iranian agent, instead of an American citizen, I could have brought a damn Ma Deuce in here and no one would have noticed shit.
Actually insane.
Oh and if anyone is curious is how doing something like feels: it’s awful. I want to throw up; I want to cry for all the things I wanted to do and never will, for all the people whose trust this betrays; I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.
Can’t really recommend it! Stay in school, kids.
Author: Mario Lotmore
