Man accused of firing at secret service, targeting Trump enters not guilty plea

Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, has pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from an alleged attempt to target President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.

Allen appeared on May 11 morning for his arraignment in Washington, D.C., where a grand jury indicted him on charges including attempted assassination of the president, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and additional weapons offenses, NewsNation reports.

Prosecutors allege that Allen forced his way through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton during the high-profile press gala, which was attended by Trump and members of his Cabinet. Authorities say Allen fired a weapon, striking a Secret Service agent, who avoided serious injury due to a bulletproof vest.

Court documents also reveal that Allen posed with weapons prior to the alleged attack. The case has been assigned to US District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee.

Defense attorneys have raised several procedural challenges, objecting to Allen’s initial jail conditions, including restrictive suicide-prevention measures that they argued limited his ability to participate in his defense. More recently, the defense sought to disqualify Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro from the case, citing their presence at the event. “Both heard gunshots, which presumably forced them to duck below the tables with the rest of the occupants … Shortly thereafter, they learned that law enforcement believed the target was certain administration officials,” the filing states.

In response, Pirro said prosecutors would pursue the case aggressively. “We will not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in antidemocratic acts of political violence,” she said. “We will prosecute all such acts to the fullest extent of the law.”

Allen has already made initial appearances in federal court and is expected to face continued proceedings as the case moves forward.

By Vafa Guliyeva