Cole Tomas Allen, the most unlikely alleged assassin in U.S. history, is charged with attempting to kill Donald Trump -- but Allen might have earned one big win

Cole Tomas Allen (NBC News)

Cole Tomas Allen might be the most unlikely alleged assassin in U.S. history. The 31-year-old resident of Torrance, California, has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the prestigious California Institute of Technology (Caltech), plus a master's in computer science from Cal State Dominguez Hills. Friends and students he has tutored describe him as being a "borderline genius." A former volleyball teammate said he was "super stable," adding "he didn't have to study. It just came to him. He was really, really smart."  A former pastor described him as "polite, engaged," adding "I don't think anybody had a negative thing to say about him." A computer science professor who had Allen as a student said he paid attention in class and was "soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow."

So how did Allen come to be the suspect in Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD)? Details pointing to possible answers began to unfold yesterday at an arraignment in a Washington, D.C. courthouse. Allen was charged with three federal crimes and is set for a detention hearing on Thursday morning, followed by a preliminary hearing on Monday. From a CNBC report about yesterday's proceedings:

Cole Tomas Allen, the man arrested after allegedly charging a security checkpoint for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, was criminally charged Monday with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump, who was in attendance at that event Saturday.

Allen, 31, is also charged with transportation of a firearm or ammunition in interstate commerce, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, a prosecutor said at his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump ... an enumerated crime of terrorism,” the prosecutor said as she asked Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh to order Allen detained without bond.

At the heart of yesterday's proceeding was a seven-page affidavit from an FBI special agent whose name was redacted. The purpose of the document was to establish probable cause that Allen had committed the acts alleged. The primary acts include that . . . 

(1) After President Trump announced he would attend the correspondents dinner, which was set for April 25, Allen made reservations at the Washington Hilton for April 24-26;

(2) On or about April 21, Allen traveled by train from his home near Los Angeles, CA, to Chicago, IL. Allen arrived in Chicago on April 23 and boarded a train for Washington, D.C., the next day;

(3) Allen checked into his D.C. hotel room at about 3 p.m. on April 25, with the dinner starting at 8 that evening;

(4) At about 8:40, Allen ran through a security checkpoint leading to the dinner location. He was carrying a long gun as he ran through the magnetometer. Moments later, security personnel heard a loud gunshot. A Secret Service officer, wearing a ballistic vest was shot in the chest;

(5) The officer drew his service weapon and fired at Allen, who fell but was not shot. He subsequently was arrested;

(6) At the time of his arrest, Allen had a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a .38 caliber pistol on his person;

(7) Investigators traced Allen's firearms purchases to dealers in California.

The affidavit includes part of a .txt file titled "Apology and Explanation," which has been called Allen's "manifesto." Here are some of the key statements cited from the document:

(1) I apologize to everyone who was abused and/or murdered before this, to all those who suffered before I was able to attempt this, to all who may still suffer after, regardless of my success or failure. I don't expect forgiveness, but if I could have seen any other way to get this close, I would have taken it. Again, my sincere apologies. 

(2) On to why I did any of this: I am a citizen of the United States of America. What my representatives do reflects on me. And I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes. (Well, to be completely honest, I was no longer willing a long time ago, but this is the first real opportunity I've had to do something about it.);

(3) In order to minimize casualties, I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls) I would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary (on the basis that most people *chose* to attend a speech by a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, and are thus complicit) but I really hope it doesn't come to that.  

The anonymous affiant closes the document with the following:

ALLEN signed his email “Cole ‘coldForce’ ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.” I know from my investigation that ALLEN used the moniker “cold force” in multiple online accounts associated with him. 

Perhaps the most important news from the arraignment was that Allen asked to have a public defender, and U.S. Magistrate Matthew Sharbaugh agreed that Allen is eligible for court-appointed counsel. Why does this matter so much? In another Trump assassination case, Ryan Wesley Routh did not have counsel and represented himself, with a very poor result. Routh was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment -- even though the case against him was filled with gaping holes. 

In upcoming posts, we will examine the Routh case, along with case law that likely will govern the Allen case. We hope you will stay with us.