Cole Tomas Allen Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Trump Assassination at Washington Hilton
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, has pleaded not guilty to federal gun crimes and attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last month in Washington DC.
Charges against Allen include using a firearm during a crime of violence and interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony. He appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit, shackled at the wrists and feet.
Prosecutors assert that Allen attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel, firing a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent. The agent sustained a hit but was protected by a bullet-proof vest. Agents apprehended Allen close to a staircase leading to the ballroom where the annual dinner, attended by Trump and other senior US officials, was in progress.
President Trump, Vice-President JD Vance, and cabinet members were evacuated from the ballroom following the gunfire.
Allen's legal team has requested US District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify all US attorneys in the Washington office, including US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro, and Attorney General Todd Blanche, from the case. Defence lawyer Eugene Ohm argued that these officials had publicly presented themselves as victims of the attack, making their direction of the prosecution “wholly inappropriate.” The justice department has until 22 June to respond to this request.
Authorities state Allen travelled from his home in Torrance, California, on 21 April, via train to Chicago before reaching Washington. A government memorandum alleges Allen photographed himself in his hotel room wearing dress clothes, a shoulder holster, pliers, and wire cutters, with multiple weapons strapped to his body, including a knife and ammunition. He then reportedly checked live coverage of the dinner online before heading to the ballroom, where he allegedly sprinted through a metal detector holding a raised shotgun.
