Cole Allen, the suspect involved in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, entered a plea of not guilty to all charges on Monday through his legal representative.
Appearing in court dressed in an orange jumpsuit and restrained by handcuffs and leg shackles, Allen faces accusations that include attempting to assassinate President Trump, attacking a federal officer with a lethal weapon, and two firearm-related offenses.
His defense team is seeking to remove all U.S. attorneys from the Washington, D.C. office, including chief prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, from the case. They argue that these attorneys, as “alleged victims and witnesses,” have a conflict of interest. Pirro, a long-time associate of President Trump, has publicly described her experience at the event, referring to herself as a potential victim in various media interviews, including a CNN segment where she described the scene as a “combat zone.”
Eugene Ohm, Allen’s public defender, stated in court that the defense requires further details from the prosecution, particularly concerning charges that might involve Pirro or Blanche as victims. Ohm argued that since both individuals have publicly identified themselves as victims, their involvement in prosecuting the case would be “completely inappropriate.”
In addition to Pirro, Allen’s legal team is also seeking the disqualification of Attorney General Todd Blanche from the proceedings.
The Justice Department has been ordered to respond to the motion by June 22, after which Allen’s attorneys will have a five-day period to submit their reply.
