The White House Correspondents’ Association plans to hold a smaller rescheduled dinner in Washington with enhanced security after an armed suspect disrupted the April event.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The White House Correspondents’ Association will hold a rescheduled dinner July 24 in Washington, D.C., after its annual event was evacuated in April because of an armed security breach outside the Washington Hilton.
The new dinner will take place at a venue that has not yet been announced. Organizers said the event will have a smaller format, tighter access rules and significantly expanded security precautions.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang notified members that the board decided to move forward with a replacement event after consulting journalists and security officials in the aftermath of the April shooting, according to Deadline.
“Rescheduling was not automatic,” Jiang wrote. “It was a choice that the WHCA board made after thoughtful consideration and input from our members.”
Jiang said the July event will include “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures.”
The original dinner was halted April 25 after an armed man attempted to breach a security checkpoint outside the Washington Hilton. Secret Service personnel confronted the suspect before he reached the main event area.
One Secret Service officer was struck in the chest during the incident but survived because of a ballistic vest.
President Donald Trump later praised the Secret Service and law enforcement response, calling their actions “incredible” and crediting them with preventing a much worse attack.
Authorities identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen and said he was subdued after allegedly trying to pass through security while armed. Prosecutors have charged Allen in connection with the incident, which investigators have said may have been an attempt to target Trump.
Jiang told members the rescheduled dinner is intended to complete the association’s program while also affirming that intimidation and violence will not stop press events.
“This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program,” she wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence.”
The association said it has raised funds so ticket holders from the April dinner can attend the new event without paying again. The WHCA also said money has been raised to help scholarship recipients return to Washington for the ceremony.
Programming and venue details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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