A campaign launch video was still fresh online when federal agents moved in.
Hours after Raymond Chandler announced his bid for the U.S. Senate, FBI agents and U.S. Secret Service personnel arrested him in Pittsburgh on charges tied to threats against President Donald Trump and a sitting member of Congress.
Chandler, who lives in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, had positioned himself as a Democratic challenger to Senator John Fetterman ahead of the 2028 primary.
His arrest now overshadows that campaign before it ever gained traction.
Court records paint a picture of escalating hostility building for weeks before law enforcement intervened.
A sworn affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania lays out a timeline of voicemails left for congressional staff.
The first call came April 18. Chandler allegedly described a violent scenario aimed at an unnamed lawmaker and that lawmaker’s own family.
His stated reasoning, according to prosecutors, centered on economic grievance — he allegedly claimed such violence was warranted because “wealth concentration has gotten so bad in this country.”
Weeks passed before a second, far more direct message followed. On April 29, court documents allege, Chandler called again — this time explicitly urging a member of Congress to assassinate the sitting president.
His language toward Trump grew personal and inflammatory. Prosecutors say Chandler referred to the president as “a liar among all liars” and “the antichrist” during that same call.
It wasn’t only elected officials who drew Chandler’s ire, according to investigators. His messages reportedly grew hostile toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well, prompting congressional staff to finally contact authorities.
By the time agents caught up with him, Chandler had already gone public with his political ambitions.
His YouTube announcement laid out a platform built around taxing billionaires more heavily, expanding social programs, cracking down on large tech companies, and eliminating ICE entirely.
That platform is now secondary to the federal case against him, which unfolded the same week prosecutors pressed forward in an entirely separate Trump-related prosecution.
In California, 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance faces his own reckoning.
Federal prosecutors allege Allen showed up at the Washington Hilton armed with multiple weapons during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, attempting to breach the ballroom where Trump, Cabinet officials, and journalists had assembled.
The Department of Justice has charged Allen with attempted assassination of the President of the United States, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and transporting a firearm across state lines.
Dressed in a blue jail uniform, Allen appeared subdued during his initial court hearing, speaking softly as marshals led him before Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh, Fox News reported.
More than 40 members of the press and public packed the gallery, and Allen reportedly scanned the crowd before nodding along as the judge outlined the proceedings.
Prosecutors wasted no time making their case for detention.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court plainly: “He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. We are asking the court to preventatively detain Mr. Allen.”
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro reinforced that message outside the courtroom, framing the hearing as only the beginning.
“Cole Allen’s journey of accountability in the criminal justice system starts today,” she told reporters, warning that “there will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold.”
Pirro left little room for ambiguity about the government’s position on Allen’s intent.
“But make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was,” she said.
Neither Chandler nor Allen has been convicted, and both cases remain in early stages as prosecutors signal more charges may follow.
The two arrests, unfolding in parallel but unconnected investigations, add fresh weight to an already lengthy record of threats and attempts against the current president.
