White House Correspondents' Dinner rescheduled for July with ‘enhanced security measures'

"We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word," White House Correspondents' Association President Weijia Jiang said in a statement.

The White House Correspondents' Association announced Tuesday it will host another dinner next month to make up for the gala that was cut short when a suspect stormed the event and fired a gun in an alleged attempt to kill President Donald Trump.

Weijia Jiang, president of the association and senior White House correspondent for CBS, said in a letter to the press the dinner would be held in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 24, with "significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures."

"We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for," Jiang said in part.

A Secret Service officer was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton hotel, which disrupted and ultimately prompted an early end to one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital. The officer fired five shots but didn't hit anybody, authorities said.

"Our thoughts remain with the officer who was injured and with everyone who experienced that evening," Jiang said. "We are indebted to the U.S. Secret Service, law enforcement and the hotel staff whose swift response protected our guests and our staff."

Jiang said rescheduling the dinner "was not automatic," but a choice the WHCA board made after input from its members.

Details on the venue and programming for the event will be announced soon, she said.

The suspected shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, pleaded not guilty last month to charges that he attempted to kill Trump and fired a shotgun at the Secret Service officer.

Allen’s lawyers asked a judge to disqualify Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.