White House calls conspiracy 'crazy nonsense'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that conspiracy theories claiming the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting was staged were “crazy nonsense.” (thehill.com) (nbcnews.com) The false claims spread within minutes of the April 25 shooting at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump, Cabinet officials and journalists were attending the annual dinner. NBC News reported that posts on X, Reddit and Instagram pushed the baseless idea that the attack had been orchestrated. (nbcnews.com) (politifact.com) A White House spokesman, Davis Ingle, went further, telling NBC News: “Anyone who thinks President Trump staged his own assassination attempts is a complete moron.” The administration has pointed to the criminal case and public evidence as proof the incident was real. (nbcnews.com) (justice.gov) Federal prosecutors say Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, traveled to Washington, booked a room at the Hilton and charged a security checkpoint with a shotgun, a handgun and knives. The Justice Department charged him with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm and ammunition to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. (justice.gov) (abcnews.com) CBS News reported investigators found writings in Allen’s hotel room and home that said he planned to target Trump administration officials. One Secret Service officer was hit by a round in the vest and later released from the hospital. (cbsnews.com) (justice.gov) The conspiracy theories took hold even as authorities released basic facts, including that Allen was taken into custody alive and faced arraignment on April 27. PolitiFact noted that early confusion, including incorrect social media posts about whether the suspect had died, helped fuel the online speculation. (politifact.com) (abcnews.com) The shooting also reopened questions about security at a hotel hosting the president. CBS News reported that attendees entered the ballroom area with tickets and magnetometer screening, but some on site said identification was not checked inside the hotel. (cbsnews.com) Republicans have also tied the attack to the partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, which ABC News reported had stretched to 73 days and affected agencies including the Secret Service. That funding fight was already hanging over several high-profile events in Washington this week. (abcnews.com) Despite the security scare, King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit went ahead this week, with the king meeting Trump and addressing Congress on April 29. The White House response has been to keep public events moving while pushing back on claims that the shooting was fabricated. (foxnews.com) (nbcnews.com)