White House says Donald Trump 'stands by' Secret Service as shooting suspect due in court — BBC News

[0:00] The man arrested over a shooting at an event President Trump was attending on the weekend [0:04] is expected to appear in court shortly. [0:07] The suspected gunman has been named as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen. [0:11] He was detained by security agents at the Washington Hilton Hotel. [0:16] The BBC has learned that President Trump and the White House are standing by the Secret [0:20] Service leadership. [0:25] According to a senior White House official, President Trump has said he thinks the Secret [0:29] Service did an excellent job in stopping the alleged gunman and moving the President. [0:35] The First Lady, the Vice President and the Cabinet as well to safety. [0:38] But his Chief of Staff will meet security officials to examine what worked and how to further secure [0:43] upcoming events. [0:45] The acting U.S. Attorney General has said the President and his officials were the likely [0:49] targets. [0:50] Joe Inwood has more for us. [0:51] A scene of chaos in Washington. [0:55] Outside the ballroom where the President was waiting to speak to many of America's most [0:59] prominent journalists, a gunman is being tackled. [1:03] Secret Service agents bundled Donald Trump to the floor. [1:06] Next to him is Oz Perlman, who was due to provide the evening's entertainment and had [1:11] been halfway through performing a trick for the First Lady. [1:14] He came down right next to me and we are both on the ground on fours and I turned and it's [1:20] honestly one of the most surreal images of my life. [1:23] If I didn't live it, I would have thought it was a dream where we're about half a meter apart, [1:27] face-to-face looking at each other on the ground when I am hearing shots and thinking to myself, [1:32] you know, are we about to die? [1:34] This is the moment the man burst through a security cordon en route to the ballroom. [1:39] He was said to be carrying a pistol, a shotgun, as well as a number of knives. [1:45] The authorities say it was this man, Cole Thomas Allen, who was in that CCTV. [1:49] The 31-year-old describes himself online as a mechanical engineer, game developer and teacher. [1:55] The authorities continue to search his home in California. [1:59] US media say Allen wrote a manifesto in which he talks about his Christian values and explains [2:06] why he wants to kill Trump administration officials. [2:09] He reportedly says turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed, before [2:14] detailing the way he believes the US government oppresses others. [2:18] President Trump spoke to CBS News about the document. [2:22] I read a manifesto. He's radicalized. He was a Christian believer and then he became an [2:31] anti-Christian and he had a lot of change. He's been going through a lot based on what [2:36] he wrote. His brother complained about him and I think reported him to the police and his [2:40] sister likewise complained about him. His family was very concerned. He was probably a pretty sick [2:47] guy. But there are many who argue that far from being an individual problem, what happened [2:54] over the weekend is a symptom of a societal wide issue in which political violence across [3:00] the spectrum is increasingly being normalized. [3:03] I think that going forward, if our politics continues to be this, I don't know, violent, [3:10] it's going to change our society. It's going to change our culture. It's going to change [3:14] our democracy. And so I'm calling on people on both sides of the Atlantic to once again [3:19] treat each other with respect, with decency, with civility, so we can continue to keep our [3:25] societies open. [3:26] Cole Thomas Allen is due to appear in court later today, where he will be formally charged [3:31] with assault of a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violence. It is unlikely [3:37] those will be the final charges against him, as it is unlikely that this will be the last [3:42] time the U.S. sees this sort of political violence. [3:46] Joe Inwood, BBC News. [3:47] AMNA NAWAZ, CEO of Media Rep Global Strategies. And he told me what the FBI are focusing on right [3:57] now. [3:59] JOE INWOOD, BBC News. [4:00] Well, the FBI is going through the evidence they've collected as a result of the search [4:04] warrants they've executed in this case, which is, I'll remind you, is just more than 36 hours [4:09] old almost. So they've done a lot of work at two different locations. So the FBI Los Angeles [4:14] field office, where the suspect lived, went to his house, talked to his relatives, talked [4:19] to neighbors. They're trying to gather a few things. First of all, they're trying to gather [4:23] the digital evidence from his home, whether that are laptops or phones, any types of things [4:28] that may lead to that motivation. Secondly, they're talking to neighbors to see if they [4:32] may have heard anything or may have had any interaction with him that also might lead to [4:36] a motive. And they're also looking for video. They want to be able to piece the suspect's [4:39] movements from the time he left his home to the time he got to Washington, D.C. So that [4:45] whole train trip, they're going to be looking at recreating that and going and looking for [4:48] clues throughout those places. And at the same time, the evidence folks there in Washington [4:54] field office, where the shooting actually happened, they'll be looking at the ballistics [4:58] and the forensic evidence there, as well as talking to witnesses at that hotel. So a lot [5:02] of that will be turned over to the U.S. Attorney's Office there. We talked about your colleague [5:08] there. Peter talked about that initial appearance today in federal court, while the evidence they're [5:13] gathering throughout the week here will be turned over to them to see if there are any [5:17] more appropriate federal charges to bring against the suspect. [5:20] And Jason, in your mind, were there security failings here or perhaps more importantly, screening [5:25] failures that occurred? Yeah, I have the utmost respect for the U.S. Secret Service. They're [5:30] the best in the world at it. I think two things can be true at the same time. I kind of look at [5:34] these security plans, particularly at known venues, Lucy, kind of like an iron skillet from back in the [5:40] day when your grandmother told you how to use it. You want to season that thing. You don't want to get [5:43] a new one every year. So the Washington Hilton has been a venue for lots of high profile events, [5:49] the Secret Service, Washington Metro Police, and all the other law enforcement certainly know how [5:54] to do that. I do think, however, that they may take a look at these screening procedures. I was at [5:58] the event three years ago and there was, it seemed to be a lot of security, but in talking to people [6:02] who were there Saturday, I don't know that they didn't seem like there was as much. So I think [6:07] they'll take a look at those plans, make some of those tweaks. And I really think the bottom line [6:12] here is he was a guest at the hotel and got past that first layer of screening. So they may take a [6:18] look at how to revisit that for people who are in the hotel. It's kind of a balance because, you know, [6:23] you don't want to intrude on the guests, but at the same time, you have to secure the president. [6:27] So their plan worked. The person did not get close to the protectees. So in that sense, it worked. [6:34] But I think in every plan, you want to take a look at that and see what you could do better. And I [6:37] think that's what they'll do. Do you think, though, inevitably, Jason, [6:42] this is going to change the whole way that high profile events like this happen? [6:47] Well, I think you have to look at what intelligence you have available and kind of read the room as [6:52] far as what's going on in their country. There's no doubt that we live in a politically divided society. [6:56] Unfortunately, a lot of people with strong opinions on both sides. So I think you will have to change how [7:01] things are done a little bit. But I don't think they're going to want the people who use violence to [7:06] win either on the left side or the right side or even in the middle. Wherever you are on that, [7:10] most people come down against violence. And so to that end, I think they're going to try to keep [7:14] having it where they want to have it and see if there are ways at all that could be changed to make [7:19] it even more secure. In the end, they don't want to let the terrorists and the people who use violence [7:23] win. Well, President Trump says King Charles will be very safe during a state visit to the U.S., [7:29] which is due to get underway later today. That follows security discussions on both sides of the Atlantic [7:34] across the last day. Our senior royal correspondent, Daniela Relf, reports now from Washington. [7:41] Security for this state visit was always going to be tight. Events in Washington over the weekend [7:48] prompted a security review by the U.K. government and Buckingham Palace. And the visit will go ahead [7:55] pretty much as planned. The attempted attack on the White House correspondent's dinner has added [8:04] a degree of tension to an already challenging trip for the king and queen. They arrive with the U.K.-U.S. [8:12] relationship under strain to see a president who has been openly critical of Britain and its prime [8:19] minister. But for the most senior U.K. diplomat in America, this visit is a reminder of the importance [8:26] of the alliance. What is so enduring about this relationship? It's that we've had differences. [8:31] Thatcher to Reagan, Roosevelt, with Churchill, actually, over how to handle Stalin. These are [8:38] moments in the relationship, but actually it endures because it is so deep. Even before the weekend's [8:44] events, this was always going to be a highly secure and highly choreographed state visit. The chances for [8:51] President Trump to get loose-lipped in front of the cameras and in front of the king have been limited. [8:58] Thank you very much, everybody. Well, it's a great gentleman. A great gentleman and a great king. [9:05] There will be few opportunities for this kind of off-the-cuff remark from the president this week. [9:10] The schedule has been designed to carefully control the moments the king and Donald Trump are together. [9:16] Back in September, the president's visit to the U.K. passed off without incident. But the king and queen [9:29] are stepping into this trip during more charged political times. The king will not want to provoke [9:36] or upset his host, but he will want to promote the U.K. and the value of its relationship with the U.S. [9:44] One royal source said it was a complex trip, but carried with it a spirit of hope. [9:50] Daniela Ralf, BBC News, Washington. [9:54] Zachy Cooper is the former Royal Assistant Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth. He told me whether [9:58] there will be heightened security concerns, though, surrounding the king's visit. [10:03] Well, I think there will be. Obviously, we were all shocked by the attack on Saturday at the White [10:07] House Correspondents' Dinner. And I think the king going at this time adds an extra layer of complexity [10:13] to the security, notwithstanding all the other complexities around this trip. Obviously, we come [10:18] in the middle of the war in Iran and all sorts of other issues out there. So I think there will have been [10:24] a lot of thinking done over the weekend and some very diligent security work before [10:28] the green light was given for the trip to go ahead as originally planned. [10:32] Critics of the trip have called President Trump unreliable. We certainly know he's unpredictable, [10:38] but he is very deferential when it comes to the royals. How will the king handle him, Zachy? [10:46] Well, I think the king is one of the most experienced diplomats on the earth, if you think about it. I [10:52] mean, he's been to the US over 20 times since he first went in 1970 under President Nixon. He went [10:58] with his sister, Princess Anne. And of course, he's almost unrivaled in the foreign travel he's done [11:04] all over the world and all the different leaders he's met as Prince of Wales and in the last three and [11:09] a half years or so as king. So this is a very seasoned diplomat. I often think of him as our [11:16] ambassador in chief compared to Donald Trump, who's the commander in chief. So I think we're [11:20] very fortunate to have him. And there's no one better place to handle President Trump than the [11:25] king. And given the criticism of the trip from some leading political figures here in the UK, [11:29] like the head of the Liberal Democrats here, Davey, pointing to this threat of tariffs on the UK [11:36] from President Trump, also the war, as you've mentioned, do you think the trip should be going [11:40] ahead? I do. You know, I think there are different approaches here. One can sort of [11:46] try and disengage from the international order and not go on these trips. Alternatively, [11:51] one can try and engage, especially where there are disagreements between different countries. [11:56] And that's really the way we will persuade. I mean, the UK has always been an incredibly [12:01] persuasive power on the world stage. And the other thing about it is the king is the sort of icing on [12:07] the cake as the head of state alongside the government. And for the government to get into [12:12] the detail policy discussions, it's for the king to really strengthen the friendship between our [12:18] nations. On this 250th year, this is a landmark year, obviously, for the US and the UK should [12:24] absolutely be at the heart of acknowledging and marking it. The big diplomatic centerpiece of the [12:30] visit will be the king's speech to Congress taking place on Tuesday, Zachy. How much input [12:36] does the king ever have in these big speeches, these big moments? Well, I think the government [12:42] take the lead and they will produce drafts. But the palace obviously would have looked at them and [12:47] I'm sure put their own gloss on it alongside the king. The king is someone who's got unrivaled [12:52] experience. He's got firm views on things. So I think he would have taken a look. And also, [12:57] I think the palace would have looked at previous landmark speeches, such as the late queen's speech [13:02] to Congress in 1991, the only time previously that a British monarch has addressed Congress. And then, [13:07] of course, the queen's landmark speech for the bicentenary in 1976, 50 years ago, when she went and [13:14] gave various landmark speeches. But I think the key thing is there's such a history in the relationship [13:19] between our two countries. Behind me is a wonderful photo of President Reagan with the queen [13:24] driving horses in Windsor Castle back in 1982. This was part of an exhibition that we put on at the [13:30] Foreign Office last year, and we hope to reprise for the 250th. So I think there's a wonderful history [13:35] there. And the king's visit is part of that overall historical narrative.