WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A man accused of storming while armed with guns and knives pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he attempted to kill President Donald Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop the attack.
Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment. Allen didn鈥檛 speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.
Allen鈥檚 lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.
and were attending the event when Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, authorities said. In last week, Allen鈥檚 attorneys argued that it creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.
McFadden, a Trump nominee, didn鈥檛 rule from the bench on that question but asked Allen鈥檚 attorneys to elaborate on the possible scope of their recusal request. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said the defense likely would seek to disqualify Pirro鈥檚 entire office from involvement in the case. Ohm acknowledged that a bid to disqualify the entire Justice Department would be unlikely.
鈥淭hat would be quite a request,鈥� the judge said.
McFadden gave prosecutors until May 22 to respond in writing to the defense’s request. The judge asked the government to specify whether it believes Pirro and Blanche could be considered victims in the case.
鈥淭hat might add some clarity here,鈥� McFadden said.
In their filing, Allen’s attorneys suggested that the appointment of a special prosecutor might be warranted.
Allen is scheduled to return to court on June 29.
A Secret Service officer was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest during the April 25 attack at the hotel, which disrupted and ultimately prompted an early end to one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation鈥檚 capital. The officer fired five shots but didn’t hit anybody, authorities said.
Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was injured but was not shot.
Besides the attempted-assassination count, Allen also is charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone.
Allen was placed on suicide watch after his arrest, but jail officials removed him from that status after several days. Allen鈥檚 attorneys complained that he had been unnecessarily confined in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip searched and placed in restraints outside his cell.
Allen told FBI agents that he didn鈥檛 expect to survive the attack, which could help explain why he was deemed to be a possible suicide risk, a Justice Department prosecutor has said.
Allen was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife when he took in his room at the hotel just minutes before the attack, according to prosecutors. In that authorities say sheds light on his motive, Allen referred to himself as a 鈥淔riendly Federal Assassin鈥� and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of actions by Trump’s Republican administration.
Authorities have alleged that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Hilton where the event would be held weeks later under its . He from California, checking himself into the hotel a day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend.
Trump was rushed off the stage by his security team at the Saturday night event and appeared at the White House two hours later, still in his tuxedo, to talk about the attack and the suspect.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e impactful, they go after you. When you鈥檙e not impactful, they leave you alone,鈥� the president said. 鈥淭hey seem to think he was a lone wolf.鈥�
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