Cole Allen, the man accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a White House reporters’ gala last month, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
It was his first appearance in the Washington federal court before US District Judge Trevor McFadden, who will preside over the remainder of the case.
Prosecutors allege Allen fired a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent and stormed a security checkpoint in a foiled attack on Trump and other members of his administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The federal agent was hit in an exchange of gunfire but was saved by his bullet-proof vest.
The suspect is alleged to have traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington,carrying a shotgun, pistol and knives. He checked in as a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the glitzy annual gala was held on 25 April.
Allen arrived at the hotel the evening before the event, according to federal prosecutors, and as the event was under way, he allegedly rushed through security above the reception before being apprehended. He was carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a pistol, prosecutors said in a court filing.
An FBI affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint against Allen quotes from a manifesto Allen allegedly sent to family members shortly before he was tackled and subdued outside the Hilton hotel ballroom.
“I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes. Administration officials … are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
Manifesto attributed to Allen
Allen, 31, of California, did not speak in court as his Attorney Tezira Abe entered the plea on his behalf. The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on a federal officer and firearms offences.
Besides the attempted-assassination count, Allen is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone.
Allen was placed on suicide watch after his arrest, but jail officials removed him from that status after several days. Allen’s Attorneys complained that he had been unnecessarily confined in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip-searched and placed in restraints outside his cell.
A different judge last week apologised to Allen for his treatment in a local Washington, DC, jail, which included being placed on suicide precautions and isolated from other inmates.
Last month’s incident appears to be the third attempt on the President’s life. Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year after trying to kill Mr Trump on a Florida golf course in September 2024.
The Secret Service was heavily criticised for the first attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, when a gunman was able to get on a roof with a clear sight of the President during a speech.
Allen’s lawyers Request Judge To disqualify Pirro and Blanche From participating in the case
Allen’s lawyers asked US District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the event when Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, authorities said. Defence attorney Eugene Ohm said the defence likely would seek to disqualify Pirro’s entire office from involvement in the case.
Ohm said the defence is likely to seek the recusal of the entire US Attorney’s Office in Washington, which Pirro leads, because of her friendship with Trump and her status as a potential victim. “It is wholly inappropriate for victims of an alleged event like this to be individually prosecuting the case,” Ohm said.
McFadden didn’t rule from the bench on that question but asked Allen’s attorneys to elaborate on the possible scope of their recusal request. Prosecutors are set to respond to the defence’s legal filing by May 22, while Allen is scheduled to return to court on June 29.
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