(WASHINGTON) – A Secret Service after-action review is underway to examine the security and possible lapses from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in the wake of Saturday’s shooting, according to officials briefed on internal procedures at the agency.
The review is being conducted as a matter of standard procedure, which requires that such a probe be conducted whenever there is an “attack on a protectee.”
The review will go step-by-step through security planning and preparation, the deployment and assignment of personnel, and what occurred once the suspect rushed the Secret Service checkpoint in a failed effort to access the Washington Hilton ballroom, where the dinner was being held.
The Secret Service declined to comment to ABC News on the after-action review.
“The Secret Service is constantly looking to improve its protective methods and learn from both successes and failure, like what happened at the Washington Hilton,” said retired senior Secret Service official Don Mihalek, an ABC News contributor. “Those lessons often translate to better protective tools, training and tactics to make the agency better.”
The White House also plans to meet with Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security leadership early this week “to discuss protocol and practices for major events” involving President Donald Trump, according to a senior White House official.
“The meeting will discuss the processes and procedures that worked 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 in the months ahead as he gears up to celebrate America 250,” the official said.
The White House emphasized its confidence in Secret Service leadership and praised the agents for intercepting the attacker and preventing further harm.
Trump has also repeatedly praised the Secret Service since Saturday’s shooting. He told Fox News on Sunday, “They were strong, relatively speaking, compared to what the potential threat was — the Secret Service and all law enforcement was … I thought they were outstanding.”
The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen, was tackled by law enforcement after gunfire inside the Hilton, where thousands of journalists as well as Trump and members of his Cabinet were gathered for the annual dinner, officials said.
Allen was detained near the main magnetometer area for the event, with surveillance video showing him running past security officials. Allen — who is a trained mechanical engineer working as a tutor in California — was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, police said.
A Secret Service member was shot, but the bullet hit the agent’s protective vest, Trump said.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Monday that the suspect’s “intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could.”
Allen appeared in court on Monday to face three felony counts of attempted assassination of the President of the United States, transportation of a firearm and ammunition over state lines with the intent to commit a felony and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Allen did not enter a plea.
The judge scheduled a detention hearing for Thursday and ordered Allen to be temporarily detained until then. Allen’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
ABC News’ Emily Chang contributed to this report.
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