Secret Service Tightens Security for 1,300-Guest WHCA Dinner After April 25 Trump Attack
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 24
Secret Service Tightens Security for 1,300-Guest WHCA Dinner After April 25 Trump Attack
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 24
Summary
Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner will use airport-style screening, separate ballroom entry and road closures around the Waldorf Astoria, where Secret Service says guests will face a heavier visible police presence.
The tighter plan follows the April 25 shooting at the Washington Hilton, when prosecutors say Cole Allen breached barriers, fired a shotgun round and wounded one Secret Service agent before being detained.
The event has also been scaled back sharply: the Waldorf ballroom holds about 1,300 people, versus the 4,000-plus guests typically hosted at the Hilton.
New DOJ material shows Allen at the Hilton on April 24 and outlines a cross-country trip from Los Angeles by Amtrak; he remains jailed on four federal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president.
At the dinner, the WHCA plans to honor Secret Service Police Officer Victor Gonzales, who was shot while helping protect Trump and attendees during the attack.