The California man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty while appearing in a D.C. court on all four charges Monday morning.
A weary-looking Cole Thomas Allen was shackled by his hands and ankles and wearing an orange jumpsuit when he made his second appearance in federal district court in Washington. He was scheduled to make a formal appearance before a judge on Monday after he was charged with four counts after he allegedly breached security and fired shots while trying to enter the event at the Washington Hilton on April 25, around 8:30 p.m., as the dinner was getting underway.
The charges facing the 31-year-old Cat Tech graduate include attempted assassination of the president; assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon; Transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony; Discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The number of assassination attempts could result in a life sentence.
In court Monday, Allen’s federal public defender, Eugene Ohm, asked Judge McFadden to see that acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro be removed from the case in their professional capacities since they were present at the dinner. Ohm said the idea that they would prosecute a case in which they might consider themselves victims was “completely inappropriate.”
In late April, Allen planned to drive from California to attend the annual event at the Hilton, book a room on the 10th floor of the Hilton — the same hotel where John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981 — and then storm security and enter the diner with a rifle and handgun, killing as many Trump administration officials as possible, the Justice Department said in court. Security foiled his attempt that night, and took him down before he entered the celebration hall. But not before, according to the Justice Department, he shot and struck the Secret Service agent who was wearing the ballistic vest; The officer survived the shooting.
Questions have since been raised about how an assassination attempt could come so close to an event attended by so many administration officials.
The Justice Department presented evidence in court that Allen sent an email to friends listing a hierarchy of administration officials he planned to target. He also allegedly sent a long statement to the family, referring to himself as a “friendly federal assassin” and explaining his intention to target the Trump administration for his political grievances.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting and in the weeks that followed, Trump and many of his allies in politics and the media pointed to the assassination attempt as a reason to build the coveted Trump Ballroom in the White House. Under the pretext that it would be very safe. A judge shut down the planned construction, citing Congress’ lack of approval for the project.
