White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect pleads not guilty in federal court

Key Points:

• Cole Tomas Allen, charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, pleaded not guilty to all four counts during his federal court arraignment in Washington, D.C.
• Allen, a California teacher and engineer, was armed with multiple guns and knives when he tried to breach security at the event, leading to a gunfire exchange with a Secret Service officer who was wounded but later released.
• Authorities revealed Allen had sent a note to family members criticizing Trump and apologizing before the incident, and he was found carrying ammunition and weapons, including a shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol purchased in 2023 and 2025.
• A federal grand jury added a new charge related to the shooting of the Secret Service agent, and Allen’s defense team plans to request the recusal of the entire U.S. attorney’s office due to alleged supervisory involvement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
• Allen remains in custody, was briefly placed on suicide watch, and is scheduled for a court hearing on June 29, with discovery materials expected to be provided to the defense soon.