FILE-President Donald Trump posted to social media a photo of law enforcement detaining a suspect following a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on the night of April 25, 2026. The suspect was identified
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A federal judge denied a request to disallow top Department of Justice officials from overseeing the prosecution of the man charged with attempting to kill President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Cole Thomas Allen, the man charged in the incident, asserted that involvement in his prosecution by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro created a possible conflict of interest because they were some of the Trump administration officials at the Correspondents Dinner held in April.
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The Associated Press reported Allen’s lawyer raised concerns regarding the close friendship between President Donald Trump and Pirro, an ex-Fox News commentator.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden wrote that neither the event nor Pirro’s personal relationship with Trump deserve their disqualification.
The judge added that Allen is not charged with trying to harm Blanche or Pirro, and there is no evidence to imply he even knew they would attend the Correspondence Dinner.
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Who is Cole Allen?
Dig deeper:
Cole Allen, of Torrance, California, has been accused of attempting to breach a security checkpoint armed with guns and knives at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on April 25.
Allen pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including assaulting a federal official with a deadly weapon and attempted assassination of the president.
The Associated Press reported that Allen faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone.
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Allen also allegedly fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent during the attack, which disrupted and resulted in a premature end to the Correspondents Dinner.
A Secret Service officer who was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest fired his own gun five times without hitting anyone. Allen was injured but was not shot.
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