US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro points at a picture of a shotgun carried by Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting incident in Washington at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, as she and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) of the FBI Washington Field Office Darren Cox take part in a press conference about the shooting incident, at the US Department of Justice, in Washington, DC, US, April 27, 2026. KYLIE COOPER / REUTERS
A California man charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a White House press gala last month pleaded not guilty on Monday, May 11. Cole Allen, 31, entered the not guilty plea during an appearance before Judge Trevor McFadden in a federal district court in the nation's capital. Allen appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit and wearing handcuffs.
McFadden scheduled a status conference on the case to be held on June 29. Allen faces four charges in connection with the April 25 attack at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner at a downtown Washington hotel and potentially faces life in prison if convicted.
