The man federal prosecutors say tried to assassinate President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25 stood in a federal courtroom on Monday, handcuffed, shackled, and wearing an orange jail uniform, as his attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, did not speak during the short hearing. He faces four federal charges, including the attempted assassination of the President of the United States, and if convicted on that count alone, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

He is scheduled to return to court on June 29.

The Associated Press reported on the arraignment and the defense strategy now taking shape:

Allen pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday to charges alleging he attempted to kill President Trump during the April 25 WHCA Dinner attack and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. He appeared before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden in an orange jail uniform, handcuffed and shackled, and did not speak during the short proceeding. A defense attorney entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf.

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His legal team is now asking Judge McFadden to disqualify at least two senior Department of Justice officials from direct involvement in the prosecution, arguing they may be considered victims or witnesses. One defense lawyer said the team would likely seek to disqualify U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s entire office from the case. In addition to the attempted assassination charge, Allen faces counts for assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, interstate transport of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The attempted assassination charge alone carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The defense strategy deserves close attention. Allen’s legal team is moving to disqualify senior DOJ officials from the prosecution and may seek to involve the office of Jeanine Pirro. If successful, such a motion could delay proceedings, reshape the government’s trial team, or inject political controversy into an already explosive case. It is a bold opening play from a defense that has limited options given the weight of the evidence described in the indictment.

A federal grand jury returned the four-count indictment on May 5.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia laid out the details of what allegedly happened that night:

The grand jury charged Cole Tomas Allen with Attempt to Assassinate the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, in connection with the April 25 shooting at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, where President Trump was present. The indictment also charges Allen with assaulting an officer or employee of the United States with a deadly weapon, transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to the indictment, shortly after 8:30 p.m., Allen approached a U.S. Secret Service screening checkpoint, sprinted through a magnetometer toward stairs leading to the ballroom where the President was located, and fired a Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, striking a USSS officer once in the chest. The officer drew his weapon and fired five times. The defendant fell, was restrained, and was placed under arrest. In addition to the shotgun, Allen possessed a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol, dozens of rounds of 12-gauge and .38 caliber ammunition, two knives, four daggers, multiple sheaths, multiple holsters, needle nose pliers, and wire cutters.

The weapons inventory described in the indictment is staggering: a shotgun fired at close range into the chest of a Secret Service officer stationed at a security checkpoint, carried by a man the DOJ says was sprinting toward stairs that led directly to the ballroom where President Trump was located. The Secret Service officer survived because of body armor, but the federal charges reflect the gravity of what prosecutors say Allen intended. Attempted assassination of the President of the United States carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and the three additional counts, including assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, ensure that even a partial conviction would likely mean decades behind bars.

The initial charging documents, released on April 27, described the alleged preparation before the attack.

The Department of Justice described the lead-up:

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According to the criminal complaint, Allen reserved a room at the Washington Hilton from April 24 to April 26, traveled by train from near Los Angeles to Chicago and then on to Washington, D.C., arriving around 1 p.m. on April 24, and checked into the hotel. Shortly before the attack, he sent an email to family and a former employer that included an apology and was signed with the name “Cole ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ Allen.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the courage and professionalism of law enforcement kept the President, administration officials, and dinner attendees safe. FBI Director Kash Patel said Allen traveled to Washington, D.C. for the purpose of assassinating President Trump and targeting members of the Trump administration. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Allen traveled across the country with deadly weapons and a plan to assassinate the President of the United States.

He traveled by train across the country. He booked a room at the very hotel where the dinner was being held. He brought a shotgun, a pistol, knives, daggers, and wire cutters. He signed an email calling himself a “Friendly Federal Assassin.” And now his lawyers want to argue about who should be allowed to prosecute him.

Cole Tomas Allen pleaded not guilty on May 11, as is his right under the law. What federal prosecutors have already laid out in public filings tells a stark story: a cross-country trip terminating at a Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a loaded shotgun, and a round fired directly at a Secret Service officer. Allen is due back in court June 29, and the lead charge of attempted assassination of the President carries a life sentence if he is convicted. The agents who put themselves between that shotgun blast and the President did exactly what they swore an oath to do, and the rest of us owe them more than a news cycle of gratitude.

 

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