{"id":2600198,"date":"2026-05-08T07:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lance-gooden-introduces-bill-to-increase-punishment-for-assassination-attempts\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T07:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:00:54","slug":"lance-gooden-introduces-bill-to-increase-punishment-for-assassination-attempts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lance-gooden-introduces-bill-to-increase-punishment-for-assassination-attempts\/","title":{"rendered":"Lance Gooden introduces bill to increase punishment for assassination attempts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flance-gooden-introduces-bill-to-increase-punishment-for-assassination-attempts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2600198&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. lance Gooden (R-TX) introduced the \u201cProtect the Presidency Act\u201d that would raise the penalty for a failed assassination attempt on a president to make the death penalty an eligible punishment. He argues that an unsuccessful attacker \u201cis still an assassin\u201d and should face the harshest penalties.<\/p>\n<p>Under current federal law, attempting to kill the president carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison. Gooden\u2019s bill would amend the criminal code so that,if enacted,federal prosecutors coudl seek the death penalty in the case of Cole Tomas Allen,who is accused of targeting President Donald Trump at last month\u2019s White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner. Allen has been indicted on four federal charges but not yet sentenced.<\/p>\n<p>The article also notes that Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >faced multiple assassination attempts<\/a> in recent years, and it places the bill within a broader context of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-political-violence-double-standard\/\" title=\"The Political Violence Double Standard\">increasing political violence<\/a>, citing other recent shootings and attacks on public figures.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE<\/strong> \u2014 Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) introduced legislation on Friday to make Cole Tomas Allen, the alleged shooter who targeted President Donald Trump at last month\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house-correspondents-association\/\">White House Correspondents\u2019 Association<\/a> dinner, eligible for the death penalty.  <\/p>\n<p>The Protect the Presidency Act would increase the possible punishment for failed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/assassination\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17740\">assassination<\/a> attempts on a president to match that, as if the attempt were fatal. If the measure were currently law, federal prosecutors could seek the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/death-penalty\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1427\">death penalty<\/a> in Allen\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4559882\/house-measure-ban-congressional-prediction-market-use\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>House measure would ban lawmakers and staff from betting on prediction market<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4558896\/mike-johnson-scott-turner-celebrate-national-day-of-prayer\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike Johnson and HUD secretary celebrate National Day of Prayer<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4558882\/losing-your-mind-jeffries-dismisses-trump-accusation-whca-dinner-attack\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Losing your mind\u2019: Jeffries dismisses Trump\u2019s accusation he incited WHCA dinner attack<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cA failed assassin is still an assassin and should be treated as such under the law,\u201d Gooden told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe harshest punishments should be on the table for those who try to murder the President.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>According to the current <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/jm\/criminal-resource-manual-1540-attempting-kill-or-kidnap-president-18-usc-1751\">U.S. criminal code<\/a>, \u201cattempting to kill or kidnap the president is punishable\u201d by up to life in prison. Gooden\u2019s bill would amend the criminal code to make the death penalty also an eligible punishment.<\/p>\n<p>The attempt on Trump\u2019s life at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-sen-jeff-merkley-admits-pelosis-stock-trading-sways-her-legislative-judgment\/\" title=\"Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley Admits Pelosi&#039;s Stock Trading Sways Her Legislative Judgment\">correspondents\u2019 dinner<\/a> was the third in nearly three years. The president faced two assassination attempts as he campaigned for the White House in 2024, one of which resulted in him being shot in the head at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>Allen has not yet been sentenced, but has been indicted on four federal charges from last month\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n<p>Four presidents have been assassinated while sitting in office, including former Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. Numerous others have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nba-superstar-ja-morant-suspended-eight-games-after-strip-club-gun-video\/\" title=\"NBA superstar Ja Morant suspended eight games after strip club gun video\">survived assassination attempts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Gooden\u2019s bill comes as political violence has been on the rise. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4558882\/losing-your-mind-jeffries-dismisses-trump-accusation-whca-dinner-attack\/\">\u2018LOSING YOUR MIND\u2019: JEFFRIES DISMISSES TRUMP\u2019S ACCUSATION HE INDICTED WHCA DINNER ATTACK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah last September while speaking on a college campus. Last June, Minnesota Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed as well.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2025, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and his family survived an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor\u2019s mansion by an antisemitic assailant. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi\u2019s (D-CA) husband was beaten at his home by an intruder with a hammer in October 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Lance Gooden proposed making Cole Tomas Allen eligible for the death penalty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2600199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/trumpbutler.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[78600,79307,69663,79306,79308],"class_list":["post-2600198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-assassination-attempts-2","tag-bill-introduced","tag-criminal-justice-2","tag-lance-gooden-2","tag-sentencing-reform"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/trumpbutler.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2600198"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2600202,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600198\/revisions\/2600202"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2600199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2600198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2600198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2600198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}