Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson condemned a weekend shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner targeting President Donald Trump and said it shows the need for a secure ballroom at the White House.
Thirty-one-year-old Cole Thomas Allen faces charges of attempting to assassinate Trump after he opened fire while attempting to enter the gala at the Washington Hilton’s International Ballroom, where Trump, Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump and other members of the cabinet were attending the event.
One Secret Service agent was wounded in the shooting before law enforcement apprehended Allen.
“When I look at the feasibility of holding events like this in the future and the argument that’s being made right now about the need for the ballroom at the White House, I think that it is a very valid argument,” Hinson said April 28 in a call with reporters. “Not just for the safety of the president and the cabinet, but for everybody in attendance.”
Trump has pushed for the construction of the 90,000-foot ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, which has been demolished to make way for the ballroom to be built.
In the wake of the shooting, Trump’s allies in Congress have said they will seek to spend $400 million to construct the ballroom, which would include a bunker. Previously, the project was being funded through private donations.
The construction faces a court challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues Trump needed the approval of Congress to construct the ballroom.
Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa’s 2nd District in Congress, said Trump isn’t likely to benefit from the ballroom project.
“We know it would likely be the future presidents who will benefit from having a secure room and a secure place to have events like this,” she said.
Hinson said the attack shows the need to “lower the temperature” of the country’s political discourse.
“I condemn political violence in the strongest possible terms in all forms,” she said, adding that she and her husband “will continue to pray for our nation to heal.”
She praised law enforcement for how they handled the shooting.
“I was horrified watching this unfold and I am immensely grateful to our law enforcement, Secret Service and Capitol Police for responding quickly and keeping everyone safe in that room,” she said.
And Hinson called on Democrats in Congress to “come to the table” and pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Secret Service.
“It’s time to make sure we get that bill across the finish line,” she said.
The partial shutdown has continued for more than two months as Democrats demand changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents killed two U.S. citizens earlier this year.
The U.S. Senate has passed a funding bill, sending it to the House, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet called it up for a vote.
USA Today contributed to this report.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ashley Hinson says gala shooting shows need for White House ballroom
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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