Suspected White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) shooter Cole Allen was back in court today, where he entered a plea of not guilty while his legal team pushes to have Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from the case.
BREAKING: Cole Allen, accused in the attempted assassination of President Trump, is expected to plead not guilty to charges that could result in a life sentence. pic.twitter.com/K8yAilPpno
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 11, 2026
Allen has federal public defenders, and he was formally indicted on four counts related to the WHCD shooting, including an attempt to assassinate the president and gun charges.
🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: Attempted Trump assassin Cole Allen pleads NOT GUILTY in federal court, facing up to life in prison if convicted
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 11, 2026
He even wants to KICK OFF US Attorney Jeanine Pirro and AG Todd Blanche from the case.
2 gun charges, attempting to assassinate the president, and… pic.twitter.com/OojhbZuz22
"A not guilty plea entered by Cole Allen during this arraignment," said reporter David Spunt. "Not surprising, we figured he would do so based on the paperwork that was filed in court over the past couple of weeks."
That push comes because Blanche and Pirro were present at the WHCD.
TODAY: WHCA dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen is set to be arraigned as his legal team moves to challenge the case against the DOJ and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. pic.twitter.com/zIl9NmRjkX
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 11, 2026
"The rules of ethics calls for recusal on two grounds," said Fox News Legal Analyst Gregg Jarrett. "If they have a personal involvement in the case or if they have a substantial interest in the outcome because of a close connection to what happened. But a potential conflict ... is not necessarily disqualifying if the attorneys can still be fair and impartial. There has to be clear evidence of a conflict to disqualify. Now, it's true that Pirro and Blanche were inside the ballroom, but the shooting occurred outside the room, so they're not really witnesses to anything at all, despite what defense counsel is claiming."
Accused White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter Cole Allen pleaded not guilty at a Monday hearing in DC federal court to charges including attempting to assassinate President Trump.
Allen, 31, is also charged with assault on law enforcement, transporting a firearm across state lines to commit a felony and discharging a weapon during a crime of violence.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Allen’s attorneys have argued that the attack’s occurrence during the annual black-tie gala — which hosted several Trump cabinet officials in addition to the president — should force the recusal of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro from prosecuting their client.
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