Video shows K9 trail suspect gunman moments before WHCD attack
Video shows a police K9 chasing the alleged gunman, Cole Allen, at the Washington Hilton moments before the shooting outside a correspondents’ dinner.
WASHINGTON – The man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump during a White House press conference last month pleaded not guilty to all charges on May 11.
Cole Allen, 31, did not speak in court as his attorney argued on his behalf. Charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on a federal officer, and firearms offenses.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Allen staged a botched attack on Mr. Trump and other members of his administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, fired a shotgun at Secret Service agents and stormed a security checkpoint.
Investigators said Allen took a train to Washington, carrying a shotgun, a pistol and a knife, and booked a room at the Washington Hilton, where the April 25 dinner was held.
Allen wore an orange jumpsuit and was shackled around his waist during the brief courtroom. It was his first appearance before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who will handle the remaining cases in federal court in Washington, D.C.
Magistrates last week apologized to Mr Allen and grilled prison representatives over the circumstances he has faced since his arrest. His lawyer said he was kept in solitary confinement and denied access to a Bible. He was placed on suicide precautions and isolated from other inmates.
The May 11 proceedings foreshadowed the next major legal battle in the case. Allen’s lawyers are seeking to have Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro disbarred from the case, saying they were present at the dinner and may have been among Allen’s targets.
Mr. Allen’s lawyer, Eugene Ohm, said the defense would likely seek a repudiation of the entire Washington U.S. attorney’s office, which Mr. Pirro heads, because of Mr. Pirro’s friendship with Mr. Trump and his status as a potential victim.
“It is completely inappropriate for the victims of these cases to prosecute individually,” Ohm said.
The prosecution is scheduled to respond to the defense’s legal motion by May 22nd. “My ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there,” Pirro previously told CNN in an interview.
Mr. Allen has been held pending trial after dropping his fight against pretrial detention on April 30th. He faces attempted assassination and firearms charges after prosecutors say he attacked the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25. He was arrested after firing a shotgun into the stairs leading to the social dinner area, prosecutors said in an April 29 court filing.
If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Contributed by Aisha Bagki.
(This article has been updated with additional information.)
