Suspect in White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Enters Not Guilty Plea

A man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner has entered a not guilty plea to all charges against him.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a California resident, was arrested at the event while carrying multiple weapons. During his Monday arraignment on May 11, he stood silent as his attorney filed the not guilty plea on his behalf, according to reports. He faces charges of attempted assassination of President Donald Trump along with two federal firearm offenses: interstate transportation of weapons and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime.

According to testimony in court, authorities recovered a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol, and three knives from Allen at the time of his arrest. His court-appointed defense counsel noted that Allen has no prior arrests or convictions and emphasized his presumption of innocence.

Allen's legal team has filed a motion requesting that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro be disqualified from the prosecution. The defense argues that since both officials were present at the dinner, they could potentially serve as witnesses in the case, which would create a conflict of interest. The judge has ordered prosecutors to respond to this motion by May 22 and asked the government to clarify whether either official should be considered victims in the matter.

If convicted on the attempted assassination charge, Allen faces a life sentence. He was briefly placed on suicide watch following his arrest. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 29.

In a subsequent 60 Minutes interview following the shooting, President Trump addressed emerging conspiracy theories suggesting the incident had been staged.