The White House Correspondents’ Dinner wasn’t the only event targeted in Washington over the weekend, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Just 24 hours before an armed man sparked chaos at the high-profile black-tie dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, a separate political gathering across town had already been hit by a wave of chilling threats - forcing organizers to quietly ramp up security and brace for the worst.
The Renegade Women’s Cocktail Party, a buzzy rooftop event in Georgetown co-hosted by Renegade DC CEO Vanessa Santos, Meghan McCain and Substack writer Jessica Reed Kraus, had been flooded with hate messages after its location leaked online.
What began as the usual online vitriol quickly escalated into something far more sinister.
The venue was hit with death threats serious enough that organizers alerted police, doubled security, and deployed undercover personnel inside the venue.
Cheryl Hines, the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr attended the event.
The next night, she was rushed to safety by Secret Service agents after shots rang out just outside the Hilton ballroom.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was brought down by federal agents after he stormed the perimeter outside the ballroom where the White House correspondents association dinner was held in Washington DC. He was charged Wednesday with attempted assassination, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and illegally transporting guns and ammunition across state lines.
The latest revelation leads to more questions about the level of security across the nation’s capital over one of its biggest weekends of the year.
Renegade DC CEO Vanessa Santos, Actress Cheryl Hines, and House Inhabit writer Allison Reed Kraus attend the Renegade Women's cocktail party
Guests of the Renegade Women's Cocktail party enjoy the evening with podcaster and co-host Meghan McCain prior to the White House Correspondents Association dinner
Security officials evacuate U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner
'That we must worry for our safety at a cocktail reception celebrating free speech is a grim symptom of the times,’ Kraus told the Daily Mail after the shooting.
Guests arriving at the Grand Hotel rooftop on Friday, sipped cocktails and took in Georgetown views as Washington’s political class gathered for one of the most anticipated weekends of the year.
The guest list spanned media heavyweights, political insiders and high-profile personalities, including actress Hines, broadcaster Clay Travis, commentator Scott Jennings and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
But behind the scenes, organizers were on edge.
Kraus was even asked to provide a list of known stalkers ahead of the event so security could block them from entering - an extraordinary step for what was billed as a celebration of free speech.
Despite the heightened precautions, the party went ahead without incident.
‘At every step of the way we were taken care of,’ Santos said. ‘At no point was I scared because event organizers took every threat seriously.’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Cheryl Hines pose for photographers at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner,
Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele and Outkick founder and radio host Clay Travis attend the Renegade Women's Cocktail Party
Podcaster Meghan McCain chats with guests of the Renegade Women's Cocktail Party
But just hours later, the mood in Washington would turn from uneasy to outright fear.
As news broke that an armed man had stormed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, panic rippled across the city.
Santos, who had skipped the dinner and was heading to another after-party, said events across DC were suddenly thrown into lockdown.
‘Everybody was scared and stunned,’ she said. ‘Nobody really knew what the streets of DC were bringing that night.’
The Substack party she had planned to attend was locked down as a precaution. Instead, she went home.
Others made similar decisions. Kraus cut her weekend short and flew out of Washington early, abandoning plans to attend further events.
For many attendees, the threats of the previous evening now felt like a blaring warning.
The weekend’s events - from online threats to real-world violence - have left political insiders shaken, with many warning that security concerns are now impossible to ignore.
‘I think everyone feels really uneasy right now,’ Santos said. ‘Nobody is doing anything without taking security extremely seriously.’
In the wake of the chaos, she admitted future events may be far more secretive - with locations and details kept under wraps to avoid becoming targets.
What was meant to be a celebratory weekend for Washington’s media and political elite instead became a stark reminder of how quickly the mood can shift - and how vulnerable even the most high-profile gatherings have become.