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Today: Arraignment For Suspect Accused Of Opening Fire At Press Gala; Source: Suspect's Writings Indicate Anti-Trump Admin Ideology; President Trump To Welcome King Charles For State Visit; White House: Suspect Wanted To Target Trump Admin Officials. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired April 27, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

JAMES STAVRIDIS, CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: No surprise Moscow has been the primary advocate protector, nut it's going to remain diplomatic, John.

I don't see Vladimir Putin with the kind of military capital to get involved in a real way here. I think it's symbolism on the part of the Iranian foreign minister. I wouldn't over read that one.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Admiral James Stavridis, always great to speak with you. Thank you so much.

Brand new hour of "CNN News Central" starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The president's chief of staff now set to meet with Secret Service and DHS to review security protocol after the shooting this weekend. The suspect is about to make his first court appearance.

Plus, more storms are bearing down on parts of the Midwest today. Severe weather killed at least two people in Texas this weekend. We have the forecast coming up.

And the best way to celebrate a win on the golf course, you ask? A cannonball with friends. Of course.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is "CNN News Central."

BERMAN: All right. We do have a little bit of breaking news. We just learned that the White House will convene a meeting early this week with key departments, including the Secret Service, to discuss security protocol and best practices for major events.

This, of course, follows what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night with the shooter there. You can see the picture, in custody, alleged shooter. He makes his first court appearance this morning very shortly, so we are standing by for that.

Let's get right to CNN's Alayna Treene live at the White House for latest on this. New reporting you're getting on what's going to happen now as they look to security.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. Look, so as you mentioned, John, I was told from a senior White House official that the White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, is planning to convene a meeting early this week with U.S. Secret Service, but also leadership at the Department of Homeland Security to really kind of go through what happened on Saturday and also push ahead, you know, trying to find ways and ensure -- find ways and ensure that the Secret Service and other law enforcement is ready for future events like this, particularly large event where we know that the president and is at and to ensure that they are confident in the security around it.

I do want to read to you just a -- a quote that I got from this official. They said, quote, "The meeting will discuss the processes and procedures that work to stop Saturday's attempt while exploring additional options to ensure all relevant components are doing everything possible to secure the many major events planned for President Trump.

Now, John, will mention that this official did point me directly to the celebrations that are already being planned by this White House for America's 250th birthday this summer. We know that the president has been talking about this a lot. He wants to have a lot of large events around the city.

And so a big part of this meeting from what this official is telling me is going to focus on how can they ensure that that is properly secured.

Now, this official also wanted to make clear that the president and the White House are standing by Secret Service. They are very grateful that they were able to neutralize the gunman on Saturday night.

But, of course, so many questions remain about how that was even able to happen, how the shooter was able to access that level above the ballroom where the president and his top cabinet officials were. And so a lot of that going I think to be the main focus of this meeting earlier this week, John.

BERMAN: And the president did an extensive interview with "60 Minutes" last night. What did he have to say, Alayna?

TREENE: Yes. Look, think one of the most interesting parts of that interview was where the president kind of acknowledged actually, you know, I was talking to sources on Saturday night while I was even in the ballroom still that they were saying, you know, perhaps, you know, were they quick enough to remove the president from the stage?

And he acknowledged in this interview last night that part of the reason he felt it was a little slower was because of him. Listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was surrounded by great people. And I probably made them act a little bit more slowly. I said, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let me see. Wait a minute. So, you know, I'm telling guys --

NORAH O'DONNELL, CBS NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Just at that moment where it looks like you go sort of down with the Service, you were telling them to wait?

TRUMP: Well, you know, what happened is then I started walking with them. I turned. I started walking. And they said, please go down. Please go down on the floor. So I went down and first lady went down also, but we were asked to go down by the agents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard from the president there, I actually think it was pretty remarkable just to hear him telling the version of events of what had happened on Saturday while he was seated on that stage.

But I think it's clear as well that the president is making clear how grateful he was to what Secret Service did, even as many of these big questions remain and even as -- as well we're hearing from, including Trump administration officials, you know, questions of whether there really was a breakdown in security on Saturday that allowed this incident to happen.

[09:05:09]

And so we'll be keeping a close eye on this meeting earlier this week, John, to see what new things we can learn about how they might try to ensure and try to prevent something like this from happening again.

BERMAN: Alayna Treene at the White House sharing your new reporting that is just in. Thank you so much.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And here's also what we know right now about the man who attempted the attack at that dinner.

Cole Tomas Allen is his name, so far, facing two charges, using a firearm during a crime of violence and also assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

According to the White House, they believe and the Justice Department, that the suspect clearly stated that he was targeting administration officials.

CNN has obtained some of his writings, which included rants and rhetoric against the Trump administration. The White House saying that it clearly stated he was targeting administration officials, as I said.

Joining me right now, CNN security -- CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell for more on this. Josh, you're talking to your sources. What more are you learning about the moments that we see somewhat captured on video when he races past that security checkpoint and then the moment that he's apprehended?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're learning a lot from sources, specifically the timeline. Now, there's been this question about how did he actually get to that terrace level at the Washington Hilton just before he then bolted, as you can see on the video there, past that security checkpoint.

I'm told from a law enforcement source that authorities believe that he had checked into the hotel as a guest and actually used a stairwell to come down to that terrace level. So not, you know, using elevators, but using one of the stairwells.

On him, he had a shotgun, he had a pistol, he had several knives and a bag. And when I say knives, I'm not talking about pocket knives. These are combat survival style knives that he had with him.

You can see the photo there of the actual shotgun that we obtained. This was collected by authorities, obviously afterwards. He then bolts past and there's been a question about whether there was an exchange of gunfire, whether he was the only one that was shooting.

I'm told that a Secret Service officer did open fire on him as he was running. He was not struck by a bullet. Obviously, a very chaotic situation.

But right now, the FBI is actually looking at the ballistics right now. Preliminarily, they believe that the suspect fired one to two shots. That officer returned fire three to four shots. So that's all part of this ongoing investigation right now. But just against new insight, answering that question, how did it even get there?

DEAN: Yes, exactly. Your a former FBI agent, what do you make of the man's writings that he sent to family just before the attack?

CAMPBELL: Well, look, you know, you and I have covered so many acts of violence where there is often a lingering question about what was the motive? And sometimes that's laborious work for law enforcement to try to dig into that.

You take, for example, the attempted assassination against President Trump last year in Pennsylvania.

To this day, there are still major questions about the motive, very mysterious. This is not that, Kate. I mean, everything that we're learning about this person from his own purported writings, he essentially lays out what the motive is. That's his deep animus for the president, for members of the Trump administration. He goes in this long kind of delusional ranting manifesto, which I won't get into to amplify, but he basically has a target list.

And he goes so far as to, you know, think, OK, people are going to criticize me for doing certain things. Here's my rebuttal to each of those points. And this is what FBI profilers typically call the typical grievance collector, someone who appears that they're so motivated by grievances that they then -- then decide to act on violence. That manifesto will certainly be critical evidence in his prosecution.

BOLDUAN: One big question is the security protocols posture now. What lessons can be learned and what should be looked at going forward.

We had two Republicans on so far today who had kind of opposing views on if security worked and if -- if there is a lack of security that now needs to be analyzed.

What do think is going to be part of the discussion when the chief of staff to the President of the United States meets with Secret Service now this week?

CAMPBELL: Yes. You know, as a former law enforcement officer, kind of looking through that lens, any time that there's an incident, you know, there are likely things that could have been done better.

The Secret Service will be doing an after action review to try to determine what processes were followed. Are there things that can change?

But I think, you know, people have to remember that the job of the Secret Service, that was to protect the president, the vice president, and a number of protectees that were inside the ballroom.

And they did just that. You see the officers there springing into action. The suspect is tackled. He didn't even make it on the same floor as the ballroom. This was happening, you know, one level up.

And so from that perspective, I think that, you know, they'll probably say, look, we -- we did what our job was.

There's been this question, Kate, about, well, should we move the perimeter back? Should we move those magnetometers, metal detectors back even farther? Maybe that's something that they're going to do.

[09:10:09]

But, you know, the reality is, is that that is the first line of defense, you know, coming to screen people. And so inherently, it's going to be a weak target until someone gets past security is actually scanned.

But, you know, again, this is obviously a very serious situation. And I'm sure there will be a very serious conversations.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. It's good to see you, Josh. Thanks so much.

Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you, Kate.

Joining us now, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Ellie, look, we've got this arraignment today. This is a procedure that every suspect goes through if they have been jailed and are facing potential trial. What do we expect today?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, first of all, we're not going to actually see anything, you and me and the -- the media and the public because this is federal court. No cameras in the courtroom, not even a live audio feed, but we will have our reporters there so people will know what's going on.

This defendant will be advised of the charges against him. He will enter a plea, a not guilty plea, I'm sure. The judge will make sure he has a lawyer. If he has one he's paying, that's fine. If not, the court will appoint one for him.

The judge will consider the issue of bail, which he will not get. He's going to be detained, pending trial or pending the outcome of the case.

And then the judge will turn potentially to scheduling issues. How quickly is this going to move? When does the government have to turn over its evidence? What we call discovery. How long do the parties have for motions?

And maybe set a trial date. Usually, you won't see a trial date set in an initial appearance like today, but it'll give us some sense of how fast the pace this case is on.

SIDNER: All right. Look, police say, or talking about these writings that they've found that they've linked to the suspect. And in one of them um they say he wrote, let me start off by apologizing to everyone whose trust I abused.

It does sound very much like a mea culpa. So, I guess the question is if you wanted to get a plea deal, if he decides, you know what, I don't need to go through this whole trial, I was a person that was responsible for this. There's video of me. There's pictures of me.

If he wanted a plea deal, do you think one would be offered him?

HONIG: You know, the vast, vast majority of federal cases, over 95 percent do end up in guilty pleas as opposed to trial. That said, in this case, if I'm going back into the prosecutor seat here --

SIDNER: Yes.

HONIG: -- I'm not giving this guy any offer whatsoever. I do not expect this Justice Department or this U.S. attorney in D.C., rightly. I do not expect them to give him any offer of leniency. The offer will be, you can just plead and get a life sentence.

Now, he may make a strategic decision. Well, let me plead guilty and sort of throw myself at the mercy of the judge. The fact that I've accepted responsibility, if he does, may give the judge some reason to sentence somewhat lower. So, you could see what we would call what I would consider a one-sided plea, where the defendant goes in, prosecutor doesn't have an agreement, but the defendant just says, judge, I'm guilty, I'm at your will.

SIDNER: All right. We'll have to see what happens during this arraignment.

Look, the -- the writings also show that this was politically based.

HONIG: Yes.

SIDNER: And if those writings are indeed his, when you look at that, could there be any additional charges in this case?

HONIG: The writings are crucial evidence. First of all, it confirms beyond any question it is him. It confirms that he planned this, that this was intentional. And it could well support additional charges.

He's currently charged with using a firearm in the course of a crime of violence and with assault on a federal official.

If you're a prosecutor and you want to add an attempted assassination charge and the writings say, this is my goal. I'm trying to kill the president, vice president, others, that would be the basis for an attempted assassination charge.

And I do expect prosecutors will add charges, maybe as soon as today, maybe within the coming days.

And given what we know about the writings, I do expect there to be attempted assassination charges added to this case.

SIDNER: Yes. We -- we should, you know, in the morning at some point, their time, so a few hours. There are a few hours behind. It's only 6:00 A.M, but usually around 10:00 Pacific Time, we start to see these arraignments. So we'll see what happens.

But as you said, this is procedural. Generally, we'll probably get a not guilty. We'll watch for it.

HONIG: Yes.

SIDNER: Elie Honig, my pleasure.

HONIG: Thanks so much.

SIDNER: Good to see you.

John?

BERMAN: All right. Headed back in the wrong direction. Gas prices rising. How high might they now go with the Strait of Hormuz still closed?

And then the British are coming. The King set to speak to Congress in the U.S. Capitol, which the British tried to burn down in the War of 1812. We will never forget.

Then billionaire tech thunder dome, Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off in court. What is at stake today?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:58]

BERMAN: All right. Just into CNN, we're told the White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will hold a meeting with key White House operations teams, including the Secret Service to discuss security protocol and best practices for major events that involve the president, specifically mentioned, protecting the president at events currently being planned to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country this summer.

With us now is Congressman Adam -- Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, always good to see you this morning.

I also just read that the Homeland Security Committee in the House has asked for a review of security procedures surrounding this event. What questions do you have this morning?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Well, I think that's perfectly appropriate. I don't know for sure. I haven't done a deep dive on what happened here. But without question, there needs to be further analysis of how to better protect events like this and also to recognize the rising threat level.

We seem to be in a very violent period. These things are happening in many contexts. I think getting a better understanding of how to prepare for them at big events is appropriate. I think the Congress and the White House should work together to come up with better plans going forward.

[09:20:07]

BERMAN: You say a rising threat level. Do you have any thoughts as -- as to why that is?

SMITH: Yes. I mean, that's sort of speculation. We go back and forth. But I think it's safe to say that there has been a massive increase in the divisions, you know, political and a whole wide range of issues.

We are -- we seem to be angrier and more willing to criticize each other in extreme terms on every level, not just in politics, but locally as well.

So, I think we have a lot of work to do to take the temperature down and get back to the place where we can have our disagreements and actually work those problems out in a, you know, in a decent way that involves discussion, compromise.

So, yes. Look, it -- it goes beyond my pay grade to sort of figure out exactly psychologically what's happening, but we can certainly see the results.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting, what isn't above your pay grade, obviously, uh, is the House of Representatives and hearings there. And you're going to have a hearing this week, Wednesday with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His first time coming to Capitol Hill to answer questions since the war in Iran began.

What do you anticipate learning from him?

SMITH: Yes. Hard to say, but what we want to learn from him is what is the plan in Iran. The, you know, war was a major strategic mistake. And we are now sitting in a position where we are stuck, not making progress on the big issues that we want.

And now all of a sudden something that wasn't an issue before we started the war, which is the Strait of Hormuz being open, has become central. And Iran is using that as a leverage point basically to ignore the nuclear issue, ballistic missile, terrorism, you know, their oppression of their people in Iran.

They've tried to push all of that aside just to focus on the Strait of Hormuz. So, what is the plan, basically, to get to a result in the war in a positive way? They don't seem to know where they're going.

And also, you know, what -- what is the military plan? The president certainly has made some outlandish claims about what he plans to do with the military to try to force Iran to come around with those issues. But what are we actually planning on doing?

And crucially, how do we think that's going to affect the strategy? I mean, we can talk about dropping bombs in a whole bunch of different places, landing troops, taking Kharg Island, you know, all the extreme stuff that the president has said. How's that fundamentally going to change Iran's calculus to our benefit? How's that going to get them to back off of their nuclear program? How's that going to get them to back off of their ballistic missile program? That link is not clear.

And I think the secretary of defense owes us an explanation for how those military actions are actually going to achieve a positive strategic outcome.

BERMAN: You know, along those lines, Sir Barak Ravid, our friend at "Axios," is reporting this morning that the Iranians made some kind of an offer, basically open to the Strait, both sides, you know, U.S. ends the blockade, and Iran lets ships through.

And then pushing -- pushing off, delaying discussions about Iran's nuclear program. How satisfactory of an outcome would that be to you?

SMITH: Be -- It'd be completely unsatisfactory. But at this point it, may be the best we could do. I think it really highlights, again, the strategic failure of this war.

Iran was as weak as it had been in -- in a couple of decades at -- at the time this war started, in large part, because Israel had pushed back against them, had attacked them and weakened them. Hezbollah was weakened. Hamas was weakened. Assad had fallen.

We were in the midst of a negotiation over their nuclear program and other things. And then we started this war and really strengthened the hardliners and sort of let Iran know that they could take our best punch and stand.

So, we have been putting in a much weaker position. And let me just say, I do not agree with all these people who are like, well, gosh, we -- we can't accept that outcome. We have to, quote, finish the job, end quote.

That sort of implies that there's some switch we can flip where it's within our power to simply decide to finish the job and force Iran to do what we want them to do.

I think it's become very clear that we don't really have that power and the cost of trying is enormous. You reference gas prices, oil prices. All around the world right now, the economy is in dire trouble. We have dozens of countries that actually have gas rationing going on.

You know, the Middle East is in chaos. The Israel-Lebanese war is a lot hotter than it was when this war started. Shia militias in Iraq are attacking Kurds in Kurdistan.

You know, we've put ourselves in a very bad spot. So, let's not assume that somehow dropping a bunch more bombs is going to fundamentally change that. That's what got us into this mess in the first place.

BERMAN: Congressman Adam Smith, the ranking member on House Armed Services. We look forward to seeing these hearings on Wednesday. It'll be interesting to see what questions are asked of the defense secretary, but also what answers he gives on just some of those issues that you raised. Appreciate your time, sir.

[09:25:10]

Kate?

BOLDUAN: Presidents in danger. American history is filled with presidential close calls. A closer look now at political violence then and now.

And we are just minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. A look at futures at the -- at the moment. Could be another big day, big week. Wall Street opening. The week focused squarely on.

The Federal Reserve investors bracing for a Fed decision on interest rates. Midweek, the expectations so far, they'll hold great steady. We'll be right back.