Judge compares jail treatment of press dinner gunman to US Capitol rioters

Key Points:

• A federal magistrate judge criticized the Department of Corrections for placing Cole Tomas Allen, accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, on suicide watch and restrictive housing, comparing his treatment unfavorably to that of January 6 Capitol riot defendants.
• Allen allegedly rushed a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun during the April 26 event and faces charges including attempting to assassinate former President Trump.
• Judge Zia M. Faruqui, known for defending civil rights, stated Allen’s treatment, including five-point shackling, was harsher than that of January 6 defendants and apologized to Allen for his conditions.
• The jail representative explained Allen was briefly placed on suicide watch following a medical evaluation, and housing decisions are still pending; the judge ordered the jail to notify Allen once a decision is made and to provide him with a requested Bible.
• DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro criticized the judge’s remarks on social media, suggesting that Allen was being given preferential treatment despite the severity of his alleged crimes.