The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month entered a not guilty plea Monday to four federal charges.
Cole Allen, 31, appeared in shackles before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden in Washington, D.C., where his public defender, Tezira Abe, entered the plea on his behalf. The hearing came weeks after the April 25 attack, which sent attendees scrambling for cover and forced Trump administration officials into secure locations.
Prosecutors describe the incident as an act of political violence. An apparent manifesto suggests Allen aimed to target high-ranking officials but was willing to “still go through most everyone” to reach his intended targets. Among those at the dinner were acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
Allen’s legal team has filed a motion to disqualify Blanche and Pirro, arguing they are victims of the alleged crime. In court Monday, defense attorney Eugene Ohm clarified that while they may seek to disqualify the entire D.C. U.S. attorney’s office if Pirro has a supervisory role, they are unlikely to target the broader Justice Department. “That would be quite a request,” Judge McFadden remarked, a Trump appointee overseeing the case.
Ohm called it “wholly inappropriate” for a victim to prosecute the case, noting that Pirro is a “close friend” of Trump, the apparent primary target. McFadden expressed skepticism that Blanche and Pirro are victims “in a legal sense,” but Ohm countered that prosecutors have signaled additional charges may be filed for targeting other top Trump administration officials.
The government must respond to Allen’s motion by May 22. According to court filings, Allen allegedly traveled from Los Angeles to Washington with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and 55 rounds of ammunition. He had booked a hotel room for three nights, from April 24 to 26, and prosecutors say he took a mirror selfie about 30 minutes before the shooting.
No one was seriously injured, though a Secret Service officer was shot once in his ballistic vest. Allen faces charges of attempting to assassinate Trump, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and two firearms-related counts: transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Allen did not speak during the hearing but nodded repeatedly and at one point appeared to resist his attorneys’ requests to stand for the plea. He has agreed to remain detained pending trial. The case continues to draw attention amid broader political tensions, including Trump’s recent clashes with media figures and debates over his rejection of an Iran peace deal.
