The man accused of firing shots at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is pleading not guilty.
Cole Tomas Allen, who was arrested during the event and armed with guns and knives, entered a not guilty plea on Monday (May 11) while being charged with the alleged attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, plus two federal gun charges.
The two federal gun charges are interstate transportation of weapons and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime.
During his arraignment, the 31-year-old California man did not speak at all, allowing one of his attorneys to enter the plea on his behalf, AP reports.
His legal team is asking the judge to disqualify Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from prosecution, as they were at the event and may act as potential witnesses, creating a potential conflict of interest.
The judge gave prosecutors until May 22 to respond to the request, and asked the government to specify whether they think the two could be considered victims in the case.
Cole, who was briefly placed on suicide watch after the arrest, faces life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge.
He is set to return to court on June 29.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court last month that he was found to have a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol and three knives. Cole‘s court-appointed defense lawyer Tezira Abe told the court at the ime, “Mr. Allen has no prior arrests or convictions. He is presumed innocent at this time.”
During an appearance on 60 Minutes following the shooting at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump weighed in on growing conspiracy theories that the incident was staged.
Posted To:News