The suspect likely traveled from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to the District of Columbia by train, Blanche said.
President Donald Trump and members of his administration were the likely targets of a suspect who fired on a Secret Service agent at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington Saturday night, U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“It does appear that he did, in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche said.
The suspect likely traveled from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to the District of Columbia by train, Blanche said.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the event at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening after a Secret Service agent was shot. The president later said the agent was “doing great.”
Trump said that a man armed with multiple weapons charged a security checkpoint at the hotel and was stopped by members of the Secret Service.
Trump shared photos on Truth Social of the suspect on the ground with his arms behind his back, and security footage showing a man rushing through the security.
“He was running full blast,” Trump said during a press briefing at the White House after the incident. “And they got him before they got any further. I was very far away.”
On Sunday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social about the need for a secure ballroom on the White House grounds.
“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built on the grounds of the White House. This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” Trump said.
The White House released a statement from Trump late Saturday night.
“In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our differences peacefully,” Trump said.
By Tom Gantert
