After the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was abruptly interrupted by a gunman’s shooting Saturday night, the Washington Hilton was left with much of the food unserved. So the staff there decided to do something good with it all.
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and CBS News’ chief White House correspondent, revealed in a social media post on Monday that the Hilton donated about 2,600 dinners that were not served.
“Hilton donated approximately 2,600 dinners that were not served at WHCD,” she posted on
As the event began on Saturday night, shots were fired when a gunman armed with multiple weapons attacked a security checkpoint. He fired several shots before the authorities were able to control him. He was later identified as Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California. Allen was charged on Monday with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Following the event, Jiang issued a statement calling it a “horrible moment.”
“Last night’s shooting at the Washington Hilton was a horrific moment for everyone present,” she wrote. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel who ensured the safety of everyone in and out of the hall. Their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer who was injured in the line of duty. We are grateful to everyone in attendance who was unharmed, including the President, First Lady, and Vice President.”
Trump appeared on CBS News. 60 minutes Sunday evening, calling for the event to be rescheduled within 30 days.
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