Cole Allen, WHCA attack suspect, pleads not guilty

May 11 (UPI) -- Cole Allen, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' dinner last month, pleaded not guilty Monday.

The 31-year-old's public defender entered his not guilty plea in a federal court in Washington, D.C., Monday morning. Allen pleads not guilty to all four charges against him.

Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm and ammunition through interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault of a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

The attempted assassination charge carries a potential sentence of life in prison.

Allen was arrested after shots were fired at the Washington Hilton on April 25, causing the White House Correspondents' Association dinner to abruptly end. A U.S. Secret Service officer was shot but was wearing a bulletproof vest and survived.

Allen has motioned for top Trump administration prosecutors, Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, to be disqualified from prosecuting him as they were victims of his alleged crimes.

Tezira Abe, Allen's public defender, explained Monday that they may seek broader disqualifications, particularly if Pirro has a supervisory role in the U.S. attorney's office. Eugene Ohm, also a public defender of Allen, said it would be inappropriate for a victim of an alleged crime to prosecute the case.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, was skeptical of Blanche or Pirro being considered victims "in a legal sense."

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 11:23 AM.