From Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) to Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Republicans are attacking Obama for not commenting on a manifesto allegedly written by the suspect who opened fire at the dinner’s security checkpoint on Saturday evening. In the document, Cole Allen allegedly suggested that President Donald Trump, who attended the dinner and was swiftly evacuated during the attack, was one of his top targets.
When Obama said Sunday that “we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting,” Republicans fired back. Fine said “it speaks to the evil” of Obama that the former president said the country didn’t have details about the motive in the shooting. Jones claimed that it proved that “no living American is more responsible for the political divide in this country” than Obama.
“We ‘don’t yet know the motives?’ Was the manifesto not enough? Or his desire to kill Trump Admin officials?” Jones wrote, referencing a line in the alleged manifesto that stated administration officials at the dinner “are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FBI Director Kash Patel, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin were among the top officials who attended the prestigious dinner over the weekend. Police arrested Allen after he was accused of charging through the Washington Hilton’s security checkpoint, shooting a Secret Service officer, and beginning to run toward the main room where the attendees were gathered.
Allen was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate Trump, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and use of a firearm in a crime of violence. Trump is pressing for the dinner to be held a second time after the attack forced organizers to cancel the event. The FBI said security will be amped up for any redo.
“I think we are going to do it entirely differently,” Patel said on Fox & Friends. “You heard the president say on Saturday night that we’re going to do this again in short order, maybe in 30 days or so, and we’re going to be ready for that. The security posture, I imagine, is going to be completely different.”
In his post, Obama condemned the political violence.
“Although we don’t yet have the details about the motives behind last night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, it’s incumbent upon all us to reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy,” the former president said.
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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin fired back with “let’s not pretend to be this clueless about motive.”
Former FBI co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino responded, “Are you kidding?”
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