DC Mayor Bowser speaks after shooting outside WHCA dinner

[0:04] So, Peter, here's the situation where we are just a few minutes ago. [0:09] They were just a few minutes ago, Peter, they were telling people to leave through those doors, [0:14] the doors to the stage right, and many of the reporters were moving towards the doors. [0:21] And then they came out and made an announcement that they're going to be resuming the program shortly. [0:26] So it's unclear if the White House correspondent here is going to continue. [0:30] Obviously, all the secretaries, the president is not here, J.D. Vance is not here, the captain secretary is not here. [0:36] Many of those folks with security personnel have been rushed out of the building. [0:41] We have an announcement. [0:47] I know everyone's going to want as many details as possible, and right now we don't have that, [0:51] but I can tell you that our program is going to resume momentarily. [1:02] And we will have more details to share also momentarily. [1:07] But for now, please just be patient as we figure out just how much time there will be, [1:14] but it shouldn't be that much longer. [1:16] Thank you very much. [1:18] Thank you. [1:19] The program is going to be resuming momentarily. [1:28] They'll have more details to share about what happened. [1:31] We should acknowledge that reporters in the room have a lot of questions. [1:35] There's a lot of discussion about what's going on and a lot of details that are just being passed by word of mouth. [1:44] Perhaps, Peter, you have more information at this point than I do. [1:47] They were trying to find him in the ballroom being removed, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth being removed. [22:37] All these individual details. [22:39] All of these folks being removed. [22:40] And I mean, just our folks who have witnessed it, obviously we have these cameras running, [22:44] but it both felt like it happened so quickly, and also it took a lot of time because of the formation of these tables. [22:52] Have you gotten any information more than we've heard from Weijia Zhang about this continuing? [22:57] You know, what we know was the announcement saying this will continue in some way, [23:01] and we have also heard that the president wants to come back. [23:04] Yes, so we have heard that the president wants to come back. [23:07] Our sourcing, some say that he is confirmed to come back. [23:10] Some say that he wants to come back. [23:12] But obviously, I talked to one administration official still left in the room tonight [23:16] who said that whether or not he does come back because of Secret Service, [23:21] they believe that he wants to come back because this would now be his third assassination attempt, [23:26] and this would be a moment for him to be president and show America that he is still here. [23:31] Of course, the question of whether or not Secret Service wants him back in the room, [23:35] whether or not it would be okay, whether or not they feel we've heard that they believe that their threat is neutralized, [23:40] but whether or not Secret Service feels confident enough to put him back in the room is one thing, [23:44] but we have heard that he wants to be back. [23:46] Peter, I just heard you. You're heading out. [24:01] Jasmine, thank you so much. [24:02] Thank you so much. [24:11] Mike is not working. Peter says that. [24:13] Dinner service will begin momentarily. [27:42] We appreciate your patience. [27:43] Please take your seats. [27:45] The program will begin. [27:48] We should be at the podium shortly. [27:50] Dinner service will begin momentarily. [29:49] Dinner service will begin momentarily. [29:51] We will have an update from the podium. [29:53] Please take your seat. [29:55] Thank you so much. [29:56] We appreciate your patience. [29:57] This is a room full of reporters, so I know you've already seen the president's tweet. [41:40] My apologies, his post on Truth Social. [41:44] And law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises consistent with protocol. [41:52] And he wanted to emphasize that nobody was hurt. [42:00] He and the first lady, the cabinet, everybody's safe. [42:05] The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. [42:21] That is not a joke. [42:28] And he insists that we will reschedule this event in the next 30 days. [42:34] And that he wanted to do it tonight. [42:41] He wanted to continue, despite the news, but has to follow security protocol. [42:47] I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service. [42:52] Because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. [42:59] And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also [43:04] think about how fragile they are. [43:06] I saw all of you reporting, and that's what we do. [43:18] So thank God everybody is safe. [43:25] And thank you for coming together tonight. [43:29] We will do this again. [43:31] Thank you. [43:32] All right, so you're good for us? [1:10:13] Yeah, yeah. [1:10:16] Yeah, Chris. [1:10:21] Yeah. [1:10:21] I put it out to the pool. [1:10:25] I put it out on pool. [1:11:18] Chris, Becker, you need... [1:11:24] Okay, mic check's good? [1:11:26] Mic check one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. [1:11:29] Hey, hey, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. [1:11:34] Mic check. [1:11:35] One, two, one, two. [1:11:36] Good? [1:11:37] Thank you. [1:11:38] Got it right here. [1:12:33] One, two, one, two. [1:12:35] Testing, testing. [1:12:36] David Spunt. [1:12:37] Huh? [1:12:38] If I can use... [1:12:41] No. [1:12:43] Yeah, I got a tone. [1:13:58] Christian, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. [1:14:00] One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. [1:14:03] One, two, one, two, three, four, five, six. [1:14:07] David Spunt. [1:14:08] David Spunt. [1:14:10] One, two. [1:14:10] One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two. [1:14:12] One, two, one, two. [1:14:13] Glad you're okay. [1:14:13] 1-2-1-2. Hey, Ouija, nice job. 1-2-1-2. Are you okay? 1-2-1-2. Are you okay? I don't hear it. Should [1:14:23] I be hearing anything? 1-2-1-2. You guys good? Pretty good? 1-2-1-2. 1-2-1-2. 1-2-1-2. 1-2-1-2-3. [1:14:35] 1-2-3. 3-2-1. Everybody good? Everybody good? Everybody good? Yes, I got tried. 1-2-3. 1-2-3. [1:14:45] 3-2-1. 3-2-1. 3-2-1. Matt Reedy, do I still need to call in? 1-2-3. 1-2-3. 3-2-1. 1-2-3. 1-2-3. [1:15:02] 1-2-3. 1-2-3. 1-2-3. Thank you. 1-2-1-2. Mic check. 1-2-1-2. Mic check. 1-2. You got me? [1:15:36] A little wider than this one. Should I be hearing programming, Matt? Matt, should I be hearing [1:15:50] programming? I think I'm hearing something now. I'm hearing people talking, it's just not [1:16:00] programming, yeah. That's fine. [1:16:02] 1-2-3. [1:16:04] 1-2-3. [1:16:08] 1-2-3. [1:16:10] 2-3. [1:16:12] 2-3. [1:16:14] 1-3. [1:16:16] 1-3. [1:16:18] 1-3. [1:16:20] 1-3. [1:16:22] 1-3. [1:16:24] 1-3. [1:16:26] 2-3. [1:16:28] Why? [1:16:29] 1-3. [1:16:30] 1-3. [1:16:32] 5-4. [1:16:34] 2-3. [1:16:36] 1-3. [1:16:38] 2-3. [1:16:40] 1-3. [1:16:42] 2-4. [1:16:44] 2-3. [1:16:46] 1-3. [1:16:48] Here's my microphone, let me take a mic on, let me take a mic on, let me take a mic on. [1:17:09] Christian! [1:17:11] There's a box right there, is there a box? [1:17:13] There's a box on me. [1:17:15] Here's my microphone. [1:17:17] I hate the box on me. [1:17:19] Oh, yeah. [1:17:21] What else? [1:17:29] What else? [1:17:31] What else? [1:17:33] What else? [1:17:35] Oh, yeah. [1:17:37] White balance up, 4-5, 4-5. [1:17:55] Can somebody hold this for me, please? [1:17:59] Mikey, can you hold this? [1:18:01] Seriously. [1:18:02] I just... [1:18:04] You're right here. [1:18:09] Give me timing guidance, Micah. [1:18:13] Five, ten minutes at PPL. [1:18:18] Can you have... [1:18:21] Is this a good angle? [1:18:28] Good? [1:18:30] Oh, I'll go this way. [1:18:31] It's live right now. [1:18:34] It is? [1:18:35] Yes. [1:18:39] Hi. [1:18:39] Hi. [1:18:40] I'm sorry. [1:18:41] Uh... [1:18:43] Hi. [1:18:44] I can hear you guys. [1:18:45] Yeah. [1:18:46] Hi. [1:18:48] Hi. [1:18:48] Hi. [1:18:49] I hear you. [1:18:49] I'm sorry. [1:18:50] I'm sorry. [1:18:51] I'm sorry. [1:18:53] I can hear you. [1:18:54] Okay, great. [1:18:54] I'm ready to be here. [1:18:55] I can hear you. [1:18:57] We are waiting for us. [1:18:58] That's alright. [1:18:59] Is that what the beer we are in your life? [1:19:01] Okay. [1:19:31] Not me, but I think it might just be a new one. [1:19:49] Oh, we're good. [1:19:50] Great. [1:19:51] I still should not be here in programming. [1:19:54] Hey, it's Jason. [1:19:55] You should be seated. [1:19:57] I figured they want to take me. [1:19:59] Okay, cool. [1:20:00] Great. [1:20:01] Great. [1:20:02] Great question. [1:20:03] Okay. [1:20:04] Yeah. [1:20:15] Yeah, I heard that. [1:20:16] I hear it ringing now, but I would. [1:20:18] Yeah. [1:20:19] Yeah. [1:20:26] Okay. [1:20:27] Okay. [1:20:28] One, two. [1:20:29] One, two. [1:20:30] One, two, one, two. [1:20:54] Thank you. [1:21:24] Thank you. [1:21:56] Thank you. [1:22:26] Thank you. [1:22:56] Thank you. [1:23:26] Thank you. [1:23:57] Thank you. [1:24:27] Thank you. [1:24:29] Thank you. [1:24:33] Thank you. [1:24:35] Thank you. [1:24:37] Thank you. [1:24:39] Thank you. [1:24:41] Thank you. [1:24:43] Thank you. [1:24:45] Thank you. [1:24:48] Thank you. [1:24:50] Thank you. [1:24:52] Thank you. [1:24:54] Thank you. [1:25:00] Thank you. [1:25:02] Thank you. [1:25:08] Thank you. [1:25:10] Thank you. [1:25:16] Thank you. [1:25:18] Thank you. [1:25:21] Thank you. [1:25:23] I'm sorry. [1:25:25] Thank you. [1:25:55] Thank you. [1:26:25] Thank you. [1:26:55] Thank you. [1:27:25] Thank you. [1:27:57] Thank you. [1:28:31] Thank you. [1:28:33] Thank you. [1:28:35] Thank you. [1:28:37] Thank you. [1:28:39] Thank you. [1:28:45] Thank you. [1:28:47] Thank you. [1:28:55] Thank you. [1:29:25] Thank you. [1:29:55] Thank you. [1:30:25] Thank you. [1:30:58] Thank you. [1:31:28] Thank you. [1:31:59] Thank you. [1:32:44] Thank you. [1:33:15] Thank you. [1:33:46] Thank you. [1:33:52] Thank you. [1:34:27] Thank you. [1:34:59] Thank you. [1:35:01] Thank you. [1:35:03] Thank you. [1:35:07] Thank you. [1:35:09] Thanks. [1:35:11] Well, thank you very much. [1:35:57] That was very unexpected, but incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement. [1:36:07] This was an event dedicated to freedom of speech that was supposed to bring together members [1:36:15] of both parties with members of the press. [1:36:19] And in a certain way, it did, because the fact that they just unified, I saw a room that [1:36:26] was just totally unified, it was in one way very beautiful, a very beautiful thing to [1:36:31] see. [1:36:32] A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by [1:36:39] some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly. [1:36:43] And I've just released, for purposes of transparency, clarity, I've ordered it to be put out, you [1:36:51] probably have it by now, put out on truth and put out on many other platforms. [1:36:56] A tape showing the violence of this thug that attacked our constitution, and also showing [1:37:03] how quickly Secret Service and law enforcement acted on our country's behalf. [1:37:09] Really did a great job. [1:37:12] One officer was shot, but saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good [1:37:18] bulletproof vest. [1:37:19] He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job. [1:37:28] I just spoke to the officer, and he's doing great, he's in great shape, he has very high [1:37:36] spirits. [1:37:37] And we told him we love him and respect him, and he's a very proud guy, he's very proud [1:37:45] of what he does, Secret Service agent. [1:37:48] And we looked at all of the conditions that took place tonight, and I will say, you know, [1:37:55] it's not a particularly secure building. [1:38:00] And I didn't want to say this, but this is why we have to have all of the attributes of [1:38:08] what we're planning at the White House. [1:38:10] It's actually a larger room, and it's much more secure. [1:38:13] It's got drone-proof, it's bulletproof glass. [1:38:16] We need the ballroom. [1:38:17] That's why Secret Service, that's why the military are demanding it. [1:38:21] They've wanted the ballroom for 150 years for lots of different reasons. [1:38:26] But today's a little bit different, because today we need levels of security that probably [1:38:32] nobody's ever seen before. [1:38:35] But everyone owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the courage of law enforcement. [1:38:42] The law enforcement and working with the D.C. police, and we just spoke with the mayor, [1:38:47] and when we're finished, the police chief is going to take over and discuss it also from [1:38:55] their viewpoint. [1:38:57] But they also performed exactly as they were supposed to. [1:39:01] And you see the attacker in different positions, but you also see the attacker totally subdued [1:39:08] and under control. [1:39:10] So as you know, this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic [1:39:14] has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill in Butler, Pennsylvania less [1:39:21] than two years ago. [1:39:22] You all know that story. [1:39:23] And in Palm Beach, Florida, a few months after that, we came close. [1:39:28] We really had, again, we had some great work done by law enforcement. [1:39:34] But in light of this evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts [1:39:39] in resolving our difference peacefully. [1:39:42] We have to resolve our differences. [1:39:45] I will say, you had Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives. [1:39:54] Those words are interchangeable, perhaps, but maybe they're not. [1:39:57] But yet everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd. [1:40:00] There was a record-setting group of people. [1:40:05] There was a tremendous amount of love and coming together. [1:40:08] I watched, I watched, and I was very, very impressed by that. [1:40:14] But we were, first lady and I were taken very well care, very quickly, very quickly rushed [1:40:21] off the stage. [1:40:22] Vice President J.D. Vance, who's here, was likewise beautifully done. [1:40:29] He was just saying how quickly everybody acted, law enforcement, Secret Service in particular [1:40:35] in this case, but law enforcement, Marco had the same thing. [1:40:38] Pete was there. [1:40:39] Pete didn't want any help. [1:40:40] He didn't want anybody to help him. [1:40:42] He doesn't want anybody to help him. [1:40:44] But he did get some, didn't you? [1:40:46] And I think you also said that it was very impressive. [1:40:49] So with that, I'd like to ask Todd Blanche to come up, say a few words, and tell you it's [1:40:55] already underway. [1:40:56] By the way, the man is, has been captured. [1:41:02] They've, they're going to his apartment, I guess he lives in California. [1:41:06] And he's a sick person, a very sick person. [1:41:10] And we don't want things like this to happen. [1:41:11] I think it's very important that I say, though, and I told the representatives of the evening, [1:41:16] they did such a beautiful job, it was such a beautiful evening. [1:41:19] And again, they're talking about free speech in our Constitution, that's what it's all about. [1:41:23] It's not just White House correspondence, it's really, it was really based on free speech [1:41:28] in our Constitution. [1:41:30] But I said, very importantly, that we'll do it again within the next 30 days, and we'll [1:41:35] make it bigger and better and even nicer. [1:41:40] So I just want to thank everybody that was involved. [1:41:42] I also want to thank the press, the media. [1:41:45] You've been very responsible in your coverage, I will say, I've been seeing what's been out. [1:41:49] You've been very responsible. [1:41:51] So Todd Blanche, I'd like to say a few words. [1:41:53] Then we're going to have cash, and then you're going to go on, and we can ask, I guess we [1:41:58] can take a couple of questions. [1:42:00] I want to thank the First Lady for, that was a rather traumatic experience for her. [1:42:06] There was a lot of action taking place up there very quickly. [1:42:11] But again, the response time was really incredible. [1:42:15] And we're going to reschedule, we're going to do it again. [1:42:18] We're not going to let anybody take over our society. [1:42:20] We're not going to cancel things out, because we can't do that. [1:42:24] We wanted to say tonight, I will tell you, I fought like hell to stay. [1:42:29] But they, it was protocol. [1:42:32] They said, please, sir. [1:42:34] Because they didn't know a lot of, there was a lot of action going on. [1:42:37] And they didn't know, could there be, probably a lone shooter. [1:42:40] But we'll find out, we'll find out very quickly. [1:42:43] They have it very well under control. [1:42:44] So I want to thank everybody very much. [1:42:45] And Todd Blanche, please. [1:42:47] Thank you very much, Mr. President. [1:42:55] Tonight you saw the very worst and the very best of this country. [1:43:00] You saw the very worst by the actions of that coward that the President just talked about. [1:43:04] But you also saw the very best, because you saw law enforcement do exactly what they're [1:43:08] supposed to do. [1:43:09] And you'll see the videos come out, I expect very shortly. [1:43:13] And you'll see law enforcement do exactly what we want them to do. [1:43:17] And so I echo what Mr. President, what President Trump just said, that we are extraordinarily [1:43:22] grateful and appreciative of the men and women of law enforcement that, that did their [1:43:26] jobs tonight, including one who was, who was injured. [1:43:29] This investigation is ongoing. [1:43:31] I expect you will see charges filed shortly. [1:43:34] The charges should be self-evident, given the conduct. [1:43:38] But as you'll hear, there will be multiple charges around the shooting, around the possession [1:43:43] of firearms, and anything else that we can get on this guy. [1:43:48] The investigation is obviously ongoing and just started. [1:43:52] There is federal law enforcement already working on search warrants and doing their job. [1:43:57] And I don't want to get ahead of them and don't want to get ahead of the work that they're [1:44:01] doing even as we speak. [1:44:03] Director Patel and I were just on the crime scene a short while ago. [1:44:07] And everybody in this room should rest assured that the Metropolitan Police Department, the [1:44:11] FBI, Secret Service, everybody's on the scene doing their job. [1:44:16] I know that the police chief is going to give an update from the scene as soon as we're finished [1:44:20] here. [1:44:21] And I obviously will lead the details of what they have learned to him. [1:44:27] But in the meantime, I just want to thank everybody in this room for the courage. [1:44:34] And I want to thank President Trump for his words. [1:44:36] And I promise you, justice will be served. [1:44:40] Thank you. [1:44:41] Director Patel. [1:44:44] Thank you, Mr. President. [1:44:46] The President's absolutely right. [1:44:47] You saw the best resolve of American law enforcement because you, Mr. President, inspire them 24-7-365. [1:44:52] You give them the resources that they need and you know, they know that you have their back. [1:44:57] And that is a changing dynamic in this country. [1:44:59] And that's why you saw brave Secret Service agents respond immediately, swiftly, subdue and [1:45:04] take down the suspect and safeguard the lives of thousands of individuals at that hotel. [1:45:09] Thanks to our interagency partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Metropolitan [1:45:13] Police Department. [1:45:14] The FBI was rapidly deployed onto the scene, took over the evidence response unit, is examining [1:45:19] all the ballistics that were found on scene to include the long gun and the shell casings. [1:45:24] We are conducting witness interviews as we speak. [1:45:26] You will hear from our team on the scene there with the mayor and the head of the FBI field [1:45:31] division there. [1:45:32] But please know what the attorney general has just said reigns no truer. [1:45:35] You saw the very best of America tonight. [1:45:38] The very best unite us at a time of uncertainty because we have leadership here with the president, [1:45:43] the vice president that backs law enforcement. [1:45:45] The men and women that I shook their hands on the scene today could not have been prouder [1:45:48] to show up on scene. [1:45:50] And as the attorney general said, make no mistake, we are conducting witness interviews. [1:45:53] If you have any information, any information whatsoever related to this event, 1-800-CALL-FBI. [1:45:59] 1-800-CALL-FBI. [1:46:01] No piece of information is too small. [1:46:03] No piece of information is inadequate. [1:46:04] We will evaluate it all. [1:46:06] We will also be conducting interviews of those that were there. [1:46:09] And if any of those individuals have information, please come forward to law enforcement or the FBI [1:46:13] of the Metropolitan Police Department. [1:46:15] We will be examining this individual's background thoroughly. [1:46:17] That process has already started. [1:46:19] And we are going to ensure that he was either a lone wolf actor or anyone else that was responsible. [1:46:23] We will analyze all evidence immediately to make sure that we safeguard this country. [1:46:28] Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, thank you for your leadership. [1:46:30] Attorney General and Homeland Secretary Mullen, thank you for your partnership in law enforcement. [1:46:34] Okay, we'll do a couple and then we go to the chief. [1:46:39] Madam Chairman, I just want to say you did a fantastic job. [1:46:44] What a beautiful evening. [1:46:45] And we're going to reschedule. [1:46:47] Okay. [1:46:51] It's very tough for her to ask a killer question, right? [1:46:54] But you have done a fantastic job. [1:46:55] Please. [1:46:56] The Press, President, I appreciate it. [1:46:59] As you mentioned, it all happened so quickly. [1:47:01] And I wonder, especially because, unfortunately, you have experience with these sorts of threats. [1:47:09] In that moment, when you realized there was a threat and service agents were telling us to get down, [1:47:16] can you describe what was going through your mind and how you were feeling in that moment? [1:47:22] That's a very good question, actually. [1:47:24] I was — it's always shocking when something like this happens. [1:47:27] Happened to me a little bit. [1:47:29] And that never changes. [1:47:32] The fact — we were sitting right next to each other — the First Lady on my right — and I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray. [1:47:43] I thought it was a tray going down. [1:47:45] You know, I've heard that many times. [1:47:47] And it was a pretty loud noise. [1:47:49] And it was from quite far away. [1:47:50] He hadn't breached the area at all. [1:47:53] They really got him. [1:47:54] But — so it was quite far away. [1:47:56] But it was a gun. [1:47:57] And some people really understood that pretty quickly. [1:48:02] Other people didn't. [1:48:03] I was watching to see what was happening. [1:48:06] Probably should have gone down even faster. [1:48:08] Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened. [1:48:12] I think she knew immediately what happened. [1:48:15] She was saying, that's a bad noise. [1:48:18] And we were whisked away along with other people. [1:48:25] But we were really whisked away. [1:48:27] And again, the performance of the Secret Service and the police. [1:48:30] All of the law enforcement. [1:48:31] I thought it was really good. [1:48:32] So it was very quick. [1:48:34] There wasn't a lot of time to be thinking. [1:48:36] Because it was a matter of seconds before we were out the door and gone into an area. [1:48:41] We very much — and you wanted to, too — we very much wanted to continue it. [1:48:45] Because I don't like to let these sick people — these thugs, these horrible, horrible people — change the fabric of our life. [1:48:53] Change the course of what we do. [1:48:55] So we held out. [1:48:56] You were there. [1:48:57] We held out right until the end. [1:48:58] But they didn't want to take a chance. [1:49:00] And I understand. [1:49:01] It was protocol. [1:49:02] But we're going to be doing one, hopefully, within the next 30 days or sooner. [1:49:06] And I am ready, willing, and able. [1:49:08] And I was all set to really rip it. [1:49:12] And I said to my people, this would be the most inappropriate speech ever made if I said one. [1:49:16] So I'll have to save it. [1:49:19] I don't know if I could ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight. [1:49:22] I think I'm going to be probably very nice. [1:49:24] I'll be very boring the next time. [1:49:26] But we're going to have a great event. [1:49:27] And you did a fantastic job. [1:49:29] Thank you very much. [1:49:30] Peter, go ahead. [1:49:31] Thank you, President Trump. [1:49:32] There's a report in the New York Post that this assailant assembled his weapon somewhere on site at the hotel. [1:49:40] What do you think about that? [1:49:43] And I ask respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you? [1:49:49] Well, you know, I've studied assassinations. [1:49:54] And I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most. [1:50:01] You take a look at the people, Abraham Lincoln. [1:50:04] I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got them. [1:50:08] But the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, [1:50:14] they're the ones that they go after. [1:50:16] They don't go after the ones that don't do much because they like it that way. [1:50:20] And when you look at the people that have either, whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, [1:50:29] they're very impactful people. [1:50:31] Just take a look at the names here, the big names. [1:50:34] And I hate to say I'm honored by that, but I've done a lot. [1:50:38] We've done a lot. [1:50:39] We have, we've taken this country and we were a laughing stock for years. [1:50:45] And now we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. [1:50:47] We've changed this country. [1:50:48] And there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. [1:50:51] So I think that's the answer, Peter. [1:50:53] And after Butler, your team for a while rethought outdoor events. [1:50:57] Yeah. [1:50:58] Do you think that you now need to rethink outdoor events? [1:51:00] No. Well, but then you just don't do events. [1:51:02] No, I can't do that. [1:51:03] I have to, what it, you know, it is what it is. [1:51:05] We have to do it. [1:51:06] The room was very, very secure. [1:51:08] You know, he charged from 50 yards away. [1:51:11] So he was very far away from the room. [1:51:13] And what did you think when you saw the video of how fast he was running? [1:51:16] He was moving. [1:51:17] He was really moving. [1:51:18] And the reaction time was great. [1:51:20] Boy, those guys, they had their guns drawn literally by the time he was there. [1:51:24] They were shooting. [1:51:25] That's right. [1:51:26] They were, I thought they were very impressive. [1:51:28] I thought they were very impressive. [1:51:29] And if I didn't, I'd let you know, you know, I'm not going to be, I would not stand for that. [1:51:35] No, I thought they were very impressive. [1:51:37] President Trump. [1:51:38] Thank you, President Trump. [1:51:39] And thank you for updating us on the suspect earlier. [1:51:41] Thank you. [1:51:42] Were you aware of any threats? [1:51:43] Was your team aware of any threats beforehand? [1:51:45] And do you believe you were the target of this tonight? [1:51:48] I guess. [1:51:49] I mean, these people are, they're crazy. [1:51:51] They're crazy. [1:51:52] And, you know, you never know. [1:51:53] He was very far away from me. [1:51:55] I had to go through a lot. [1:51:56] You know, we had, we had resources all over. [1:51:59] We had resources sitting at tables, literally in disguise, sitting maybe at, you know, [1:52:04] maybe at your table. [1:52:05] Who knows? [1:52:06] But we had, we had people all over the room. [1:52:08] So he had a long way to go. [1:52:09] That was really a first line of defense. [1:52:11] And they got him. [1:52:12] And they really, you know, they acted incredibly. [1:52:15] No, we have, we've had no, there was no notification. [1:52:19] We had no idea. [1:52:20] Go ahead. [1:52:21] Do you not have any political motivations from this? [1:52:23] Well, you never know. [1:52:24] Now, we'll be able to tell you that maybe by tomorrow or the next day. [1:52:27] You know, he's in custody and they're asking him a lot of questions. [1:52:31] I guess they're going over, Todd, and they're, they're already at his apartment. [1:52:35] He lives in California. [1:52:36] Yes, sir. [1:52:37] And they'll be, they're over there. [1:52:39] So they'll be able to tell you. [1:52:40] Thank you, Caitlin. [1:52:41] President Trump, did the suspect say anything or was he wearing anything that would allege [1:52:48] some type of motive here? [1:52:49] Nothing. [1:52:50] No. [1:52:51] I mean, he was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down. [1:52:55] You know, they had him down. [1:52:56] He was fighting hard. [1:52:57] He was a, in my opinion, a sick person. [1:53:01] Who would do that but a sick person? [1:53:03] But I think you're going to find everything about him. [1:53:05] No reason to talk about it now. [1:53:06] But tomorrow at this time, long before this time, you're going to know a lot of things about [1:53:11] him. [1:53:12] He was a, they seemed to think he was a lone wolf. [1:53:14] And I feel that too. [1:53:15] Are you concerned about U.S. Secret Service protection ability? [1:53:18] We saw several of the detailies take minutes to be escorted out of the room. [1:53:22] No, they acted very quickly. [1:53:24] No, I was very impressed by Secret Service. [1:53:26] I mean, I'm the one, and Mark Wayne, you would agree with that, I think. [1:53:29] Yes, absolutely. [1:53:30] I'm the one that would complain. [1:53:33] You don't have to complain for me. [1:53:34] I would be complaining. [1:53:35] I'd be up here right now saying they didn't do their job. [1:53:38] Well, believe me, because, you know, it's my life. [1:53:41] And I want to live because I want to make this country great. [1:53:44] That's why I want to live. [1:53:45] But when you're impactful, they go after you. [1:53:47] When you're not impactful, they leave you alone. [1:53:49] Okay, a couple of, a couple of more. [1:53:51] A couple of more. [1:53:52] Go ahead, please. [1:53:53] Is there any indication that this shooting could have been linked to the war in Iran? [1:54:01] I don't think so, but you never know. [1:54:04] We're going to know a lot. [1:54:05] We have the best people in the world working on it, and we're going to know a lot. [1:54:09] Please. [1:54:10] Mr. President, there's a lot — there's — you, as well as some of us who have covered Butler, [1:54:16] experienced another horrific day two years ago. [1:54:19] Yeah. [1:54:21] What's — what felt similar? [1:54:22] You know, you had the First Lady with you today. [1:54:24] What felt different? [1:54:25] And you have another two-plus years in office. [1:54:28] Are you concerned about something like this happening again? [1:54:30] Well, I can't be concerned. [1:54:32] I can only get great people. [1:54:34] They did the job. [1:54:35] A much — in my opinion, a much better job than Butler. [1:54:38] Butler had one weak spot that we all know about. [1:54:41] Somebody should have been up there. [1:54:42] But even Butler — we had a — our sniper — sniper on our side — within 4.2 seconds [1:54:50] from a distance of about 400 yards, one shot, and he was gone. [1:54:58] And if he didn't do — now, you know, he's David. [1:55:01] His name was David. [1:55:03] I say, hello, David, every time I see him. [1:55:05] David, I like you very much, David. [1:55:07] But think of that. [1:55:08] Now, if he doesn't hit him, and he hit him right between the eyes from 400 yards, [1:55:13] without any notice, nobody knew. [1:55:15] He heard a sound. [1:55:16] He looked over, and there was actually a tree that was somewhat in his way. [1:55:21] You know the story very well. [1:55:22] And he aimed — he fired. [1:55:24] And if he didn't do that, beyond me, you would have had a lot more people killed. [1:55:29] We lost one great person and two people very badly hurt. [1:55:32] They were okay now. [1:55:33] But no, that was — so, in a sense, you know, they — that was pretty amazing, the job they did. [1:55:39] But — but — but they did have that one weak spot. [1:55:42] As you know, they should have had that covered. [1:55:45] Tonight, they had everything covered very quickly. [1:55:47] And he was fast. [1:55:48] He was running full blast. [1:55:49] And they got him before they got any further. [1:55:52] I was very far away. [1:55:53] You know, he was — he hadn't anywhere close to breach the doors of the ballroom. [1:55:58] The ballroom was sealed, and everybody in there. [1:56:01] That's why, once those doors opened, they didn't want to do tonight. [1:56:04] If the doors weren't opened, we could have probably done it tonight. [1:56:07] But I think we're much better off rescheduling. [1:56:09] Yeah, please. [1:56:10] The Press, Mr. President, for you and perhaps law enforcement as well, [1:56:15] what is the level of confidence that this was a lone actor? [1:56:18] And has the suspect made any statements to police while in custody? [1:56:23] Yeah, I think — just my — look, it's not my profession. [1:56:26] We have great professionals up here and outside that have been working with us. [1:56:30] My impression is he was a lone wolf, a whack job. [1:56:35] These are crazy people. [1:56:36] These are crazy people. [1:56:37] And they have to be dealt with. [1:56:39] We had that in the second attempt, as you know. [1:56:42] And he's — he's spending life in prison. [1:56:45] Because if you let him out, they'll probably — you know, if he serves 10 years or 15 years, [1:56:50] you let him out, he'll probably try it again with somebody else. [1:56:53] They're sick people. [1:56:54] We have a lot of sick people. [1:56:56] But you're going to know — I think very shortly, you're going to know, Todd, a lot about him. [1:57:02] You're going to know a lot about him. [1:57:04] Yeah, a couple of more. [1:57:05] Yeah, please. [1:57:08] Go ahead. [1:57:09] Are you concerned about political violence? [1:57:11] This could be politically motivated? [1:57:13] All violence. [1:57:14] I'm concerned about everything. [1:57:15] Look, but I can't be so close. [1:57:17] You can't be so concerned that you can't function. [1:57:20] No, I'm here. [1:57:21] It's a dangerous profession. [1:57:23] You know, I tell the story — race car drivers. [1:57:27] I think it's very dangerous. [1:57:29] So, if you take 1 percent and then take about 10 percent of 1 percent — just to break it down very easily — they die. [1:57:38] So, much less than 1 percent. [1:57:40] 10 percent of 1 percent. [1:57:42] I think bull riding is very dangerous. [1:57:44] If you take about the same — 10 percent of 1 percent, much less than 1 percent. [1:57:49] But if you take presidents, it's 5.8 percent. [1:57:53] And about 8 percent are shot at. [1:57:58] So, nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession. [1:58:03] If Marco would have told me, maybe I wouldn't have run. [1:58:06] Maybe I would have said, I'll take a pass. [1:58:08] No, it's a dangerous profession. [1:58:10] But I don't view it that way. [1:58:11] Look, I'm here to do a job. [1:58:13] It's part of the job. [1:58:15] It is a dangerous — it's — I can't imagine that there's any profession that's more dangerous. [1:58:20] But I love the country, and I'm very proud. [1:58:22] I'm very proud of the job we've done. [1:58:24] You see what's happened. [1:58:25] We have a great country. [1:58:26] We've got, I think, the most successful, the hottest country anywhere in the world. [1:58:30] This happened over a period of just a year. [1:58:33] And we're going to do great things. [1:58:35] But with that come risks. [1:58:38] There's no question about it. [1:58:39] Yeah. [1:58:40] I mean, there's been so much political violence, not just aimed at yourself, [1:58:44] but at other members of, you know, members of Congress, Statehouse speakers, you name it. [1:58:49] Is that just the cost of doing business to do politics in America anymore? [1:58:52] Yeah. [1:58:53] Well — [1:58:54] What does that say about our country? [1:58:55] Yeah, we're not the only country. [1:58:56] You look at — there's great violence with all countries. [1:58:58] I was talking to somebody from another country today. [1:59:03] And they have numerous assassinations of political figures all over the world. [1:59:09] You look at South America and South America, it's like — some of the numbers are just horrific. [1:59:14] It's dangerous. [1:59:15] It's dangerous stuff, whether it's here or someplace else. [1:59:17] No country is immune. [1:59:19] No country. [1:59:20] Good question. [1:59:21] Is it possible to turn that temperature down at this point? [1:59:23] Well, probably if I decided to just not do much, you know? [1:59:29] If I let everybody rip us off and take advantage of us? [1:59:32] Look, we're leading the world in trade now. [1:59:34] We're leading the world in the military. [1:59:36] We're the greatest military in the world. [1:59:37] I rebuilt it in my first term, and now we use it because we have no choice. [1:59:41] We can't let — as an example, Iran — we can't let them get a nuclear weapon. [1:59:45] That'll — everything will be peanuts compared to that if they ever were given a nuclear weapon. [1:59:50] And they'd use it, too. [1:59:51] Marco and I were talking about it today. [1:59:53] They would use it without even hesitation. [1:59:55] We can't do that. [1:59:56] It was a shame. [1:59:57] I said, oh, boy, look at the numbers. [1:59:59] We just broke 50,000 in the Dow. [2:00:01] We just broke 7,000 in the S&P. [2:00:03] They said we couldn't do it in seven years, in five years, four years. [2:00:07] They were saying maybe in five or six years. [2:00:10] And we did it in one year. [2:00:12] And I called everybody together. [2:00:14] I called all of these people and others, and I said, we have to take a little journey. [2:00:20] I seek to do this. [2:00:21] We just had the great number. [2:00:23] We just broke 50,000. [2:00:24] It wasn't supposed to happen during my term. [2:00:26] It wasn't reachable. [2:00:27] We did it in one year, and I said, we're going to have to make a journey to Iran. [2:00:32] They're going to have a nuclear weapon if we don't do it. [2:00:35] We had the B-2 bombers take them out. [2:00:37] I terminated in the first term the Obama agreement, the Iran nuclear agreement, which was a disaster. [2:00:44] That was a road to a nuclear weapon. [2:00:46] They would have used it. [2:00:47] They would have used it 100 percent. [2:00:48] So, you know, when you do things like that, you become a target. [2:00:51] If I wasn't doing that, I guess I'd be a lot less of a target. [2:00:54] But I'm honored to be. [2:00:56] Okay, one more question. [2:00:57] Go ahead. [2:00:58] Yeah, go ahead. [2:01:04] Thank you, President Trump. [2:01:05] Thank you, President Trump. [2:01:06] Do you know how the gun was brought into the hotel? [2:01:09] And also, how does this event impact you as the leader of our country? [2:01:13] Do you think it will change your relationship? [2:01:15] I like not to think about it. [2:01:18] I lead a pretty normal life considering, you know, it's a dangerous life. [2:01:22] I think I'm, I think I handle it as well as, as well as it can be handled. [2:01:25] I think a lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they become basket cases, to be honest with you. [2:01:30] I'm not a basket case. [2:01:31] I, I take is, really take it as it is. [2:01:34] I do it for the country. [2:01:35] I'm not doing it for any other reason. [2:01:36] I have a first lady who's doing a terrific job. [2:01:39] She loves the country. [2:01:40] And she recognizes it better than anybody. [2:01:44] She's told me numerous times, she said, you are in a dangerous job. [2:01:49] But that goes along with her, too. [2:01:51] I mean, it's dangerous for her, too. [2:01:52] We sat there tonight. [2:01:53] We heard that noise and it was either a tray or a bullet. [2:01:58] I thought, I was hoping it was a tray, but it wasn't. [2:02:02] And again, we had some very brave people doing a great job. [2:02:06] So we're very proud of them and happy with them. [2:02:08] I just want to thank everybody. [2:02:10] They will be able to give you all that information as to the names and everything else. [2:02:17] Most of, I think we released the names already. [2:02:19] Most, most of you would have it, but his name, we appreciate it. [2:02:24] I see so many tuxedos and beautiful dresses. [2:02:27] It was a little different evening than we thought, but we're going to do it again. [2:02:30] And we're going to, we have a great chairman who, who we're so proud of. [2:02:34] And we have to make it better. [2:02:37] We'll make it safer, I guess. [2:02:39] Right. [2:02:40] But we're going to make it even better. [2:02:41] Okay. [2:02:42] Thank you very much. [2:02:43] Thank you. [2:02:45] You've got personal questions about how impactful it is. [2:02:47] Can we hear from her about .... [2:02:49] Dr. Roi Kahnari, would you want to say something? [2:02:52] Okay. [2:02:53] Okay. [2:02:54] Dr. Roi Kahnari, one in the back. [2:02:56] Dr. Roi Kahnari, one in the back. [2:02:57] Dr. Right. [2:02:58] Dr. Roi Kahnari, one in the back. [2:02:59] Any of the people across the globe in fact are watching you, you demonstrated courageous leadership. [2:03:02] And thank God you're alive, all of us are alive today. [2:03:05] What are the messages that you want to give to the world that this should change? [2:03:09] What corrective measures can we take from here on? [2:03:12] Dr. Well, all you can do, look ... [2:03:14] Look, I don't care how many people you have, [2:03:16] how good they are, they can be the greatest people. [2:03:19] You have the greatest security in history. [2:03:22] If you have a whack job that's got a brain, [2:03:24] but it's a little bit distorted or a lot distorted, [2:03:29] they can make trouble. [2:03:30] I would say, Pete, right? [2:03:31] You know, they can make trouble. [2:03:33] Some of these people are of genius level IQ, [2:03:37] and they're nuts, so it can be trouble. [2:03:40] So you do absolutely the best. [2:03:43] You get the best. We have the best people. [2:03:44] Well, look, it was proven tonight. [2:03:46] He started running from 50 yards, and he was fast. [2:03:51] It was like a blur on tape. [2:03:54] He was moving. [2:03:55] They turned. [2:03:55] It was very impressive the way they got him, [2:03:58] because a lot of people would be looking and saying, [2:04:00] you know, it's like a weird feeling, [2:04:04] and they would let him get through. [2:04:06] But they didn't let him get through. [2:04:07] They drew those guns so fast, looked like they looked [2:04:11] like Matt Dillon. [2:04:12] They looked like somebody that knew what they were doing. [2:04:15] And we really do. [2:04:15] But it comes with the territory. [2:04:18] And if you want to do a great job, I really believe that. [2:04:20] And you take a look at what's happened to some [2:04:24] of our greatest presidents. [2:04:25] And it doesn't happen to people that don't do anything. [2:04:30] And it's not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. [2:04:35] I don't know if that had anything to do with it. [2:04:36] I really don't think so, based on what we know. [2:04:39] But we're going to continue to do a great job. [2:04:43] That's all I can do. [2:04:44] Thank you very much. [2:04:46] We'll see you tomorrow. [2:04:47] Thank you. [2:04:49] Thank you. [2:04:49] Thank you. [2:04:50] Thank you. [2:04:51] Thank you. [2:04:52] All right, you're OK. [2:10:34] Good evening. [2:10:35] I'm Muriel Bowser. [2:10:36] I'm the mayor of Washington, D.C. [2:10:38] I am joined by members of my public safety team [2:10:42] and federal law enforcement, including the United States [2:10:47] Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, [2:10:52] and Secret Service Director Sean Curran, [2:10:55] as well as FBI field office Darren Cox. [2:11:00] We're here to provide you an update on the incident [2:11:04] that took place tonight at 8.36 PM at the Washington Hilton [2:11:09] at the site of the White House Correspondents' Dinner. [2:11:12] At about that time, a sole gunman rushed a Secret Service [2:11:17] checkpoint in a lobby at the hotel. [2:11:21] Secret Service agents stopped the suspect. [2:11:25] An agent was injured and transported to a local hospital [2:11:30] where the agent is receiving care. [2:11:33] The suspect is also transported to a local hospital [2:11:38] where he is being evaluated. [2:11:40] The president returns safely to the White House, as you know. [2:11:45] We are so very thankful to members of law enforcement [2:11:49] who did their jobs tonight and made sure that all guests were safe. [2:11:56] We have no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved. [2:12:01] I want to turn to the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, [2:12:06] Chief Carroll, to provide a law enforcement update and specifics. [2:12:14] Thank you, Madam Mayor. [2:12:15] Again, I'm Jeff Carroll, Interim Chief of Police [2:12:17] for the Metropolitan Police Department. [2:12:19] This afternoon, this evening, members of the United States Secret Service [2:12:22] and the Metropolitan Police Department were here at the Washington Hotel [2:12:26] for a site detail for the Correspondence Center. [2:12:29] As the mayor mentioned, at approximately 8.36 tonight, [2:12:33] an individual charged a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint here [2:12:37] in the lobby area of the hotel. [2:12:39] He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. [2:12:44] As he ran through that checkpoint, members of law enforcement [2:12:46] from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual. [2:12:50] This is a very preliminary investigation at this point. [2:12:53] We do know that law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual. [2:12:57] We do know that a U.S. Secret Service [2:13:00] uniformed division officer was struck in his vest. [2:13:03] He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. [2:13:06] He seems to be in good spirits at this time. [2:13:08] The suspect in this case, he was not struck by gunfire. [2:13:11] However, he was transported to a local hospital to be evaluated. [2:13:17] Again, we're very early in the investigation. [2:13:18] We have members of the United States Secret Service, [2:13:20] the Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI here [2:13:23] to continue to investigate this matter. [2:13:26] But at this point, it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman, [2:13:29] that does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this time. [2:13:33] However, we are continuing to investigate this matter. [2:13:37] At this point, I will turn it over to, I believe, the FBI. [2:13:40] Hi, good evening. [2:13:45] I'm Darren Cox, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. [2:13:50] The American public should be proud of the quick response and heroic actions [2:13:55] from law enforcement officers tonight to keep the American public safe. [2:13:59] Their actions are absolutely heroic. [2:14:02] The public should also rest assured that there will be no stone unturned during this investigation. [2:14:10] The FBI currently has our Joint Terrorism Task Force here on scene, along with our Criminal [2:14:15] Division, our Crisis Response Team, and agents from across the country are working on any [2:14:23] leads that may come in in this investigation. [2:14:26] Anyone with tips in this investigation should call 1-800-CALL-FBI. [2:14:30] Thank you. [2:14:31] My name is Sean Kern, the director of the Secret Service. [2:14:35] Tonight, we saw exactly what our brave men and women do each and every day to protect our [2:14:47] protectees. [2:14:48] It's not easy. [2:14:49] And I will tell you that they performed admirably. [2:14:53] We got to see what they do. [2:14:55] And that individual, when he charged a checkpoint, was apprehended. [2:14:59] It shows that our multilayered protection works. [2:15:03] And I'm grateful to our partners that help assist us with building these sites and protecting [2:15:07] these sites. [2:15:10] Very fortunate that this officer is alive, is being observed. [2:15:15] And I'm grateful that the president reached out to this officer and spoke with him earlier. [2:15:20] I ask everybody to pray for him and all of our officers and agents that were involved. [2:15:24] And I will tell you, we will continue with the mission. [2:15:28] Thank you. [2:15:30] Judge Piro. [2:15:36] I'm Jeanine Piro. [2:15:37] I'm the United States Attorney. [2:15:39] Right now, the defendant is being charged with two counts, 924C, using a firearm during [2:15:45] a crime of violence, and a second crime under 111, which is assault on a federal officer [2:15:53] using a dangerous weapon. [2:15:55] Now as you all know, there was an individual, a uniformed Secret Service officer, who was [2:16:01] shot. [2:16:02] And fortunately, he is doing all right and he will be fine. [2:16:07] But it is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing [2:16:12] as much harm and as much damage as he could. [2:16:16] And thankfully, because of the checkpoint right outside the ballroom, where thousands of people [2:16:22] were situated to hear the President of the United States, because that checkpoint worked, [2:16:28] there was no one who was injured when it was clear where this defendant was going. [2:16:34] Now I want to make one comment. [2:16:37] As a participant, someone who was in the ballroom, who came this evening to be part of a very lovely [2:16:44] event at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, I for the first time was in a situation where [2:16:51] there were shots fired, shots heard, and a whole room went silent. [2:16:57] When I lifted my head and when I looked up, every law enforcement officer was out there, [2:17:06] as we all had our heads down, thousands of them. [2:17:10] These are the men and women every day who do what they do silently, and they do it with [2:17:16] courage and with dignity. [2:17:19] Thank God for our partners, the FBI, the Secret Service, the Metropolitan Police, all of them [2:17:26] tonight acted so quickly that they prevented what could have been a horrific event where [2:17:34] we were all sitting there in one room. [2:17:38] The defendant will be arraigned on Monday in Federal District Court. [2:17:43] But make no mistake, there will be many more charges based upon the information that we [2:17:49] are learning in this very fluid situation. [2:17:53] Thank you. [2:17:54] I'll take a few questions. [2:17:55] General, right here in the front. [2:17:57] Right here in the front. [2:17:58] Can you confirm that this suspect is specifically bargaining the credit, and is he talking to [2:18:02] law enforcement, I'll see you. [2:18:03] Sure. [2:18:05] So at this point, what we know is, we know the individual charged the checkpoint with a fire [2:18:09] on his hand. [2:18:10] He was running in the direction of the ballroom that the president was in, as well as other [2:18:14] cabinet members. [2:18:15] So what his specific motivation was, we can't say at this point. [2:18:18] However, as we continue to investigate that, we'll continue to work towards that. [2:18:21] Chief, when you say you're on this question here, there seems to have been a lack of authorization [2:18:25] to come to this event. [2:18:26] Was this a banter on the Secret Service? [2:18:29] I mean, no. [2:18:30] I mean, what we have here is a multi-layered approach. [2:18:32] The director spoke about it. [2:18:33] We have officers on the outside from the Metropolitan Police Department along with the escort. [2:18:37] The inside portion of any presidential site is handled by the Secret Service and [2:18:41] law enforcement partners. [2:18:42] This is a multi-layered approach. [2:18:44] The point of this checkpoint is to intercept individuals that were there. [2:18:47] And what we see in this case is, when he reached that checkpoint, Secret Service agents [2:18:50] and law enforcement engaged him immediately. [2:18:52] They were able to bring him into custody and prevent anyone from being harmed. [2:18:55] Chief Carol, can you tell us if you've found a vehicle associated with the suspect? [2:19:01] And are you and the FBI conducting any search warrants either on a vehicle or locations here [2:19:06] or elsewhere around the country? [2:19:08] Sure, Mark. [2:19:09] So, as you can imagine, this is very early in the investigation. [2:19:11] So, you know, things we're digging into is his background, vehicles. [2:19:14] Those are all things that the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Secret Service are [2:19:18] working together, joining to determine, is there anything else that's available? [2:19:21] So I would imagine as we continue to go through this investigation, there will be additional [2:19:24] search warrants and things of that nature as the investigation progresses. [2:19:27] Is the suspect down to law enforcement? [2:19:30] At this point, he was not known to the Metropolitan Police Department. [2:19:32] I can tell you that. [2:19:33] Right here? [2:19:34] Chief, there are multiple other parties and events happening associated with this weekend [2:19:38] tonight. [2:19:39] Is there any reason to believe that there will be security concerns at those events? [2:19:42] Are there preparations being made globally to protect those events? [2:19:46] Yeah, absolutely not. [2:19:47] So we have no indication. [2:19:48] This is an isolated incident with one individual is the information that we do have. [2:19:51] However, we do have additional officers across the city that are giving special attention. [2:19:56] We do know there were some after parties and events that are planned that we would be providing [2:19:59] coverage for those events. [2:20:00] Yep. [2:20:01] The President said that this is not a particularly secure building. [2:20:05] Do you have that assessment? [2:20:07] I'm not exactly 100% familiar with this building. [2:20:10] I do know in this incident tonight, I know there was a security plan that was developed by the [2:20:13] Secret Service that the Metropolitan Police Department assisted with, and I know that security [2:20:17] plan did work this evening. [2:20:19] Right here. [2:20:20] Thank you so much. [2:20:21] Do you know specifically if President Trump was a targeted shot, and can you speak to [2:20:26] their reporting about the suspect assembling a long weapon to get into the ballroom? [2:20:36] Yes. [2:20:37] As we said before, we do know the President was inside the ballroom. [2:20:39] We know there was cabinet members and many guests in there. [2:20:41] Who specifically he was targeting at this point, that's part of the investigation. [2:20:45] We do know that he was armed with a shotgun when he ran through that checkpoint, so that [2:20:49] would look like a long weapon in video. [2:20:50] All right. [2:20:51] Right here. [2:20:52] Right here. [2:20:53] Right here. [2:20:54] Right here. [2:20:55] Did the suspect fire any shots, and did the uniformed officer, do you know yet, which [2:21:02] weapon he was shot? [2:21:04] Obviously we're only a couple hours into this instance, so we don't have that level of information. [2:21:07] The FBI's evidence response team is here. [2:21:09] They're processing the scene. [2:21:10] So as the investigation develops, all that information will be figured out with the ballistics. [2:21:14] The ATF is also on scene here with us. [2:21:16] So the suspect did or did not fire a shot? [2:21:19] Sure. [2:21:20] So again, it's very preliminary information. [2:21:21] We do believe he did. [2:21:22] However, as the investigation determines, we'll pull the shell casings. [2:21:25] We'll be able to get more information as we review more evidence. [2:21:27] We're very early in the investigation. [2:21:28] All right. [2:21:29] We can take a couple more right here and right here and one more over here. [2:21:33] Thank you so much. [2:21:34] So the President said that he wants there to be another event within 30 days. [2:21:38] Given what happened tonight, do you have any sense of what additional security measures [2:21:43] might be put in place to ensure that something similar does not happen again? [2:21:47] Sure. [2:21:48] I'll follow through the Secret Service. [2:21:51] Yep. [2:21:52] This is what we plan for every day. [2:21:53] So we take each and every case and we evaluate it and we do site assessments. [2:21:58] And that's why we go out and build these sites per what the event is and that's how we go [2:22:05] about our business. [2:22:06] Will there be any changes or added measures given that this didn't happen? [2:22:09] We're going to have to evaluate this evening. [2:22:11] Thank you. [2:22:12] Chief, is there an identification how the suspect got into the hotel? [2:22:16] Was it a guest here? [2:22:17] Are you searching rooms here? [2:22:19] So preliminary information, we do believe he was a guest here at the hotel. [2:22:25] We have secured a room here in the hotel. [2:22:27] And again, we'll go through the appropriate procedures to determine what was inside there. [2:22:31] But that is secure. [2:22:32] At this point, like I said, we believe he is the only suspect in this case. [2:22:35] Okay. [2:22:36] To jump on that question, I understand the multi-approach to security. [2:22:40] But to walk in with a weapon of that caliber and get all the way to the bottom, which is [2:22:45] on the lower level, seems to be quite the historic area. [2:22:48] How does that happen? [2:22:49] Sure. [2:22:50] So again, I mean, we're very early in the investigation. [2:22:52] So we'll have to determine, you know, we'll go through video across the hotel to figure [2:22:55] out how the gun got in, how it got down here. [2:22:57] Those things will come through the investigation. [2:22:59] At this point, we don't have that level of detail. [2:23:01] Okay. [2:23:02] Last one. [2:23:03] We don't have any information that he was injured. [2:23:04] He was attorney general. [2:23:05] Could you clarify how he was detained? [2:23:06] If he was not shot, could you clarify how he was detained? [2:23:07] Sure. [2:23:08] So law enforcement, right here in this very area, they actually tapped him to the ground [2:23:10] and handcuffed him. [2:23:11] Can you release his name? [2:23:12] Can you give us his name? [2:23:14] Not at this time. [2:23:15] We will release his name, Mark, once we have all the information. [2:23:16] Again, we're just going to talk about that. [2:23:17] We don't have any information. [2:23:18] We don't have any information that he was injured. [2:23:19] We don't have any information that he was injured. [2:23:20] How many people in the hospital? [2:23:21] How many people in the hospital? [2:23:22] In the hospital? [2:23:23] So we have the Uniform Division Secret Service officer who is being evaluated at the hospital [2:23:27] who took a round to the vest. [2:23:28] And the suspect is being evaluated, but he was not struck by gunfire. [2:23:33] Yes, sir. [2:23:34] Are you looking at any terrorist charges? [2:23:35] Well, as the chief just indicated, we're very early in this investigation, but make [2:23:41] no mistake, if there is anything like that, we will find it and we will file it. [2:23:47] Thank you. [2:23:48] Thank you. [2:23:49] Thank you. [2:23:50] Thank you. [2:23:52] Thank you. [2:23:53] Thank you. [2:23:54] Thank you. [2:23:55] Thank you. [2:23:56] Thank you. [2:23:57] Thank you. [2:23:58] Thank you. [2:23:59] Thank you. [2:24:00] Thank you. [2:24:01] Thank you. [2:24:02] Thank you. [2:24:03] Thank you. [2:24:04] Thank you.