U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Sunday that evidence connects alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner attacker Cole Allen to the shooting of a Secret Service officer during the attack.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Pirro said buckshot from a shotgun carried by Allen was found “intertwined with the fiber” of the officer’s bulletproof vest. She said that evidence shows Allen’s weapon struck the agent.
Pirro’s comments mark the first public statement from her about evidence tied specifically to the Secret Service officer’s shooting. They also go beyond what prosecutors have publicly released so far about ballistics evidence in the case.
Pirro made a forceful accusation during the interview, saying Allen had the intent to kill the officer and others as part of an alleged plan targeting the president.
She said Allen’s alleged planning, previously released by her office, supports that conclusion. Pirro also said more evidence, including additional video, will be released later.
Defense Questions Government’s Evidence
Allen’s attorneys challenged the government’s evidence in a court filing last week. They questioned what proof prosecutors have that Allen fired his weapon.
The defense has not commented publicly on the case beyond court filings.
Prosecutors have not yet released evidence showing ballistics test results on the shotgun. They also have not publicly released evidence showing exactly what struck the Secret Service officer.
Pirro said prosecutors would be transparent as more details become public.
Pirro said prosecutors from her office will present evidence to a grand jury on May 8 as they seek an indictment.
Allen, 31, faces three felony counts:
- Attempted assassination of the president of the United States
- Transportation of a firearm and ammunition over state lines with intent to commit a felony
- Discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence
Allen has not entered a plea. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 11.
What Prosecutors Have Said So Far
In court documents, prosecutors said Allen fired a shotgun at least once while running past magnetometers.
They also said he fired “in the direction” of the Secret Service officer who was hit in the vest. Prosecutors said investigators recovered one spent cartridge case from the chamber and at least one fragment from the crime scene that was physically consistent with a single buckshot pellet.
Those filings did not include the full ballistics evidence Pirro described Sunday.
Secret Service Director Describes Point-Blank Shooting
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said Thursday on Fox News that Allen shot an agent at “point blank range with a shotgun.”
Pirro also said Sunday that the Secret Service officer fired his weapon five times. She added that the officer did not shoot himself.
That statement addressed a key point in the case: whether the officer’s injury came from Allen’s weapon or some other source.
Pirro also said she will not recuse herself from the case, even though she attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Her role has drawn attention because she is both the top federal prosecutor in Washington and a person who was present at the event connected to the attack.
The original report did not state that any formal recusal request had been filed.
Prosecutor Says President Was the Target
Pirro acknowledged that Allen did not specifically name the president as a target in the writings prosecutors have released. Still, she said Allen’s alleged tracking of the president made the target clear to her.
She said prosecutors would be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Allen wanted to kill the president.
Pirro also rejected the idea that Allen was insane. She described him as highly intelligent, citing his master’s degree and his work at a NASA jet propulsion laboratory. She said he had no psychotic break and was lucid and clear.
Pirro’s remarks matter because they add a sharper public claim to the government’s case before prosecutors have released full ballistics evidence.
Her statement directly links Allen’s shotgun to the officer’s vest, while the defense has already questioned the government’s proof that Allen fired the weapon. That sets up a central dispute as the case moves toward the grand jury stage.
The comments also raise the stakes around the attempted assassination charge. Prosecutors are not only alleging that Allen fired during the attack; they are arguing that his actions and planning show an intent to kill the president.
The case against Cole Allen now turns on evidence prosecutors say will support the most serious charges against him. Jeanine Pirro says the government can connect Allen’s shotgun to the Secret Service officer’s vest and prove the president was the intended target.
But some evidence remains unreleased publicly, including full ballistics results. With a grand jury presentation expected on May 8 and Allen’s next court appearance set for May 11, the case is moving into a critical stage.