Man Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Alleged Attack at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

A man accused of attempting to assassinate the president at last month’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner pleaded not guilty to all charges in Washington federal court on Monday. Cole Allen, 31, of California, did not speak during the proceeding as his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf.

The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on a federal officer and firearms offences. Prosecutors allege Allen fired a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent and stormed a security checkpoint in a foiled attack on the president and other members of the administration at the April 25 event held at the Washington Hilton.

A photograph released after the incident showed Secret Service agents detaining a shirtless suspect identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, in the ballroom entrance. Allen wore an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the waist during the brief hearing. It was his first appearance before US District Judge Trevor McFadden, who will preside over the remainder of the case.

The hearing came a week after a different judge apologised to Allen for his treatment in a local Washington DC jail. That treatment included being placed on suicide precautions and isolated from other inmates.

The proceeding previewed the next major legal battle, which centers on Allen’s attempt to disqualify acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro from the case. His lawyers argue the two were present at the dinner and may have been among those targeted.

Allen’s lawyer Eugene Ohm said the defence is likely to seek recusal of the entire US Attorney’s Office in Washington, which Pirro leads. The motion cites her friendship with the president and her status as a potential victim.