Bill O'Reilly Criticizes CNN's Kaitlan Collins for False WHCD Shooter Report

Bill O’Reilly criticized CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for calling the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) shooter “confirmed dead” when, in fact, the suspect was still alive. The veteran journalist made the remarks during Monday’s episode of No Spin News, questioning Collins’ professionalism.

“She’s a rookie,” O’Reilly said after airing footage of Collins’ report. “Looks good on TV. Can conduct an interview. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. You don’t report a story like that … because that’s what they call hearsay.”

“She’s got no valid source for that story other than some secretary of education. How would [s]he know? Now, if you want to mention it, you can say there’s a rumor, you could say that. But you don’t say, ‘They said he is confirmed dead.’”

Watch O’Reilly’s full remarks below. A CNN representative did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

As previously reported, President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night after gunshots were fired at the Washington Hilton. Attendees ducked for cover while journalists scrambled for accurate information.

During the chaos, Collins reported on CNN that the shooter had been “confirmed dead.” Her statement included the following details:

• She acknowledged the information was “not verified.”
• She cited a “secretary of education” seated nearby as her source.
• She claimed security personnel confirmed the shooter’s death.

However, Trump and the Secret Service later stated that an individual had been taken into custody. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, a California resident charged with attempting to assassinate the president—a crime punishable by life in prison. Allen did not enter a plea for the attempted assassination or related firearm charges.