Federal Case Moves Forward After Attack At Washington Dinner Last Month
A California man accused of trying to kill President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, appeared in court handcuffed, shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform. He did not speak during the brief arraignment. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.
Allen is charged with attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts. If convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Defense Seeks Recusal Of Top Justice Department Officials
Allen’s attorneys are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in the prosecution.
The defense argues that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro could be considered victims or witnesses because they were attending the event when Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.
In a court filing, Allen’s attorneys said the situation creates at least the appearance of a conflict if Blanche and Pirro are involved in making prosecutorial decisions.
McFadden did not rule from the bench Monday. He asked Allen’s attorneys to provide more detail about the scope of their recusal request.
Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said the defense may seek to disqualify Pirro’s entire office from the case, though he acknowledged that seeking to remove the entire Justice Department would be unlikely.
“That would be quite a request,” McFadden said.
The judge gave prosecutors until May 22 to respond in writing. He also asked the government to clarify whether it believes Pirro and Blanche could be considered victims in the case.
Secret Service Officer Hit During April 25 Attack
The April 25 attack took place at the Washington Hilton hotel and disrupted one of the most high profile annual events in Washington.
Authorities said a Secret Service officer was shot once in a bullet resistant vest. The officer fired five shots but did not hit anyone. Allen was injured, but authorities said he was not shot.
Prosecutors said Allen had an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife when he took a photo of himself in his hotel room minutes before the attack.
According to authorities, Allen referred to himself in a message as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and made references to grievances involving actions by Trump’s Republican administration.
Allen Scheduled To Return To Court In June
Allen was placed on suicide watch after his arrest, but jail officials removed him from that status after several days.
His attorneys complained that he had been kept in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip searched and placed in restraints outside his cell.
A Justice Department prosecutor said Allen told FBI agents he did not expect to survive the attack, which could help explain why officials viewed him as a possible suicide risk.
Authorities said Allen reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6, weeks before the dinner. He later traveled by train from California and checked into the hotel one day before the event.
Trump was rushed off stage by his security team during the Saturday night dinner. About two hours later, he appeared at the White House in his tuxedo and spoke about the attack.
“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump said. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”
Allen is scheduled to return to court June 29.
