WHCA President Weijia Jiang releases statement after filming dinner

WHCA President Weijia Jiang CBS News’ senior White House correspondent issued a statement following last night’s shooting. White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

In an attached note, Jiang said the shooting “was a devastating moment for everyone present.” “We are deeply grateful to the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement officers who ensured the safety of everyone in and around the ballroom. Their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer injured in the line of duty. We are grateful that everyone in attendance, including the President, First Lady, and Vice President, is safe,” she wrote.

She added, “Our dinner exists to celebrate the First Amendment and the hard work of journalists who defend it. Last night, those journalists demonstrated exactly the poise and courage their job requires as they jumped into reporting shortly after the incident occurred. We are proud of everyone in that room. The WHCA Board of Directors will be meeting to assess what happened and decide how to proceed. We will provide an update as soon as possible.”

On Sunday morning, Jiang Zemin appeared on ‘Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan’ and spoke about that evening.

Jiang Zemin spoke about why Trump stayed behind. She said: “It all happened so fast, and when we were on stage we were in a very light moment with an entertainer doing tricks, and when we heard something in the audience we thought it was a protestor or something very familiar to us. Then we were crawling off the stage when SWAT team members came up to the head table and rushed us to the floor and told us down, down, down. And in the back there was a waiting room with people waiting, including the President. “Mr. Trump and distinguished guests, up on stage. Please come.”

Jiang praised SWAT officers and Secret Service security who worked quickly to protect the president and everyone in attendance.

She also shared that her family is in the audience and how they are handling the event. “I’ve covered countless shootings and murders and horrible things in my career. This is the first time I’ve been on the other side of a potentially violent and deadly situation. No amount of reporting can prepare you for that. It’s true that my family was in the audience. It was really meaningful to have them there. It added an extra layer of complexity, because I’m thinking about the safety of my members, the safety of all my dinner guests, and obviously the safety of the people on the front lines. I can see who’s most important to me. And to us. “There was no information.”

Jiang Zemin shared how President Trump called him into the waiting room for a briefing before posting the news of the dinner postponement. “He really wanted to explain that he realized how important that night was. It’s something we do every night, and when I gave my speech, I reminded everyone that the freedoms we celebrate tonight in the First Amendment are still incredibly fragile.” He continued, “I’m grateful that the president acknowledged this and that we will not give up. The president refused to resign and that’s why he was there despite what happened. I don’t know what the team told him, but they relayed it to me, and the president continued to say that he wasn’t going anywhere, so he stayed.”

President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and numerous Cabinet officials quickly evacuated the scene of the incident while law enforcement subdued the gunman. Law enforcement officials said the suspect walked through a security checkpoint with a rifle, a handgun and a magnetometer testing device in tow. He reportedly engaged in a shootout with Secret Service agents.

Soon after, The president held a press conference And he promised to reschedule the dinner within 30 days. He said he “fought like hell” to not cancel the event. He added, “We will do it again. We will not let anyone take over our society. We will not cancel it, because we cannot do that.”

President Trump has had a belligerent relationship with mainstream media and news organizations. In late-night briefings, he tried to strike a conciliatory tone and even praised the media for promptly reporting the recent shootings that have disrupted the normal routine of American life. Trump praised the quick work of law enforcement officials who had “very brave agents” of the Secret Service remove the guns.

“In light of the events of this evening, I hope that every American will once again resolve, with all their hearts, that we must resolve our differences peacefully,” Trump said.