Retired NYPD inspector warns social media fueling political violence
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Retired NYPD investigator Paul Mauro warned Sunday that a lone gunman’s attempt to attack the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday was the latest sign of a “metastasizing” wave of political violence fueled by social media.
“It reminds me a little bit of what it’s like when you’re at the top of the mountain [post-9/11] ‘the age of terrorism’ or ‘the age of counter-terrorism…'” Mauro told “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“When it starts to metastasize [beyond Afghanistan]”…it’s starting to permeate the internet, and the big common denominator here is the rise of the internet, and especially the rise of social media, has allowed this ideology to spread into corners where it wouldn’t have had as much support before,” he added.
Mauro’s remarks came after authorities allege the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, ran into a Secret Service checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner armed with multiple weapons.
JOURNALIST SALENA ZITO EXPLAINS WHAT TRUMP SUPPORTERS MEAN WHEN THEY TURNED THE CAMERAS ON BUTLER
People react after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Allen allegedly opened fire on a Secret Service officer, who was later hospitalized after being hit with his ballistic vest.
Agents reportedly responded to Allen, who was not hit. He was also hospitalized.
Senior federal law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told Fox News that Allen told law enforcement after his arrest that he was targeting himself. Trump administration officials.
DUE TO DEM-LED SHUTDOWN, SECRET SERVICE IN THE LINE OF FIRE IS STILL FREE ON WHICH SHOTS
President Donald Trump greets during the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did not specify which officials Allen targeted in an appearance Sunday on NBC News.
Lawmakers and officials have since condemned the suspect’s actions and called for toning down the rhetoric to prevent similar incidents.
“Almost every [person] These days you can find a place, a niche, on the internet that will support your position,” Mauro said.
“And I think once the search warrants are completed and the computers and phones are cleared, we will almost certainly see that the defendant here, Cole Allen, probably espoused this type of ideology online and decided to take action because people told him it was true.”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Similar warnings followed the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump in 2024 and the murder of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus in September 2025.
Trump and all other administration officials present at Saturday’s dinner were safely escorted from the venue.
Fox News’ Peter D’Abrosca and Asra Q. Nomani contributed to this report.
