WASHINGTON (7News) — The man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump during last month’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner entered a not guilty plea during his federal arraignment Monday morning in Washington, D.C.
Cole Allen, 31, appeared in federal court where all four charges against him were formally read. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden also advised Allen of the new grand jury indictment filed against him. Through his attorney, Allen entered a not guilty plea on all counts.
Allen entered the courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit with both handcuffs and leg shackles as the high-profile hearing got underway.
During the hearing, Allen’s defense team asked the judge to remove U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and the Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from the case, along with their entire offices.
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In a newly filed motion, defense attorneys argue Pirro and Blanche should be disqualified from the case because both were inside the ballroom during the alleged incident. Attorneys said that it creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest and could undermine public confidence in the fairness of the prosecution.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, left, and FBI Director Kash Patel, right, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, on Monday April 27, 2026, in Washington, following the initial appearance in federal court of the suspected White House Correspondents Dinner gunman, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The filing also points to Pirro’s friendship with Trump and several public comments she made following the alleged attack.
Pirro responded in a statement saying, “We will evaluate the motion and respond in court.”
The judge appeared skeptical of that argument, saying his understanding is that neither DOJ official personally encountered Allen the night of the incident, and were instead in the ballroom. He also said he would be “very surprised” if either official were legally considered victims based on the current charges.
Prosecutors said they will formally respond to the defense motion within the next two weeks. They appeared open to removing the two officials personally from the case if necessary, but opposed removing their entire offices.
The judge ordered prosecutors to file their response by May 22. The next hearing is scheduled for June 29 at 10:30 a.m. for a status conference.