Cole Allen, 31, has been charged with multiple crimes, including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States.
WASHINGTON — The man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at last month’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner appeared in federal court Monday for his arraignment, where he entered a not guilty plea.
Law enforcement officials arrested Cole Allen, 31, of California, after he allegedly rushed past Secret Service agents at a Washington hotel where Trump was attending an annual gathering of reporters covering his administration.
Allen was wearing handcuffs and shackles and an orange prison uniform during his arraignment in federal court on Monday.
Allen did not speak during the brief hearing. One of his lawyers entered a plea on his behalf.
Justice Department charges four counts against Cole: Attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, transporting firearms and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and Assault on a federal law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors allege Cole fatally shot a Secret Service agent with a shotgun during the so-called media gala attack, although the agent’s vest was spared serious damage.
Video and photos of the incident released by Trump himself and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro show a man appearing to rush through the hotel’s security checkpoint while agents sprang into action. The shooting was not captured in the video released to the public by the Trump administration.
Just as the dinner began, officials said Allen took action near the massive ballroom that was hosting hundreds of reporters and their guests. prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service personnel responsible for maintenance activities.. Authorities said Allen had with him a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun purchased last year and a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol purchased in 2023.
Who is Cole Allen?
Since the assassination attempt, details have emerged about Allen, painting him as a highly educated mentor and amateur video game developer opposed to U.S. policy. trump cardof administration.
Authorities say Allen lives in Torrance, Calif.He had been planning the attack minutes before it happened and took a photo of himself in a hotel room equipped with an ammunition pouch, shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife.
Minutes before the attack, the 31-year-old sent a message to his family calling himself a “friendly federal assassin” and denouncing recent actions by the U.S. government under Trump, without directly naming the Republican president, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.
Allen’s federal public defender said he is presumed innocent. His lawyers have also sought to remove several senior Justice Department officials from the case, citing their close ties to Trump and their alleged presence in the room when Allen tried to break in.
“When you have influence, they follow you. When you don’t have influence, they leave you alone,” Trump told a White House press conference two hours after the incident. “They seemed to think he was a lone wolf.”
Government says he checked Trump’s status online multiple times that nightincluding live coverage of the president being dropped off at the Hilton Hotel. Investigators said the scheduled email with an “apology and explanation” attachment was sent around 8:30 p.m.
“He intended to kill and fired his weapon while attempting to breach security and attack his target. Simply put, the defendant posed an unusually serious danger to the community if released while awaiting trial. The defendant’s lack of a criminal record and other personal circumstances do not alter this conclusion,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones wrote.
What happens at arraignment?
Like all defendants in the U.S. criminal justice system, Allen faces an arraignment before a judge, the first step in a criminal trial.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, is hearing the case. At the hearing, he is expected to read out the charges against Allen and ask simple questions. Chief among them is whether Allen understands the charges against him.
He then asks a question familiar to many: “How do you want to plead?”
After pleading guilty, McFadden will set a timetable for the next phase of the trial, with prosecution and defense attorneys preparing for the legal battle. Some criminal cases, especially high-profile ones with political charges like the one against Allen, can take months before a jury can be assembled to hear the case.
