The man accused of sprinting past the Secret Service with guns and knives and attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner pleaded not guilty to four federal criminal charges.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, entered not guilty pleas on Monday, appearing in shackles before Judge Trevor McFadden in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
He is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump.
He is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The April 25, 2026, dinner was underway at the Washington Hilton when Mr. Allen bolted past a U.S. Secret Service security screening checkpoint on the hotel’s Terrace Level shortly after 8:30 p.m., according to prosecutors. Mr. Allen sprinted through a magnetometer and ran toward a staircase leading to the ballroom where Mr. Trump was located, according to court documents.
As he ran, prosecutors said, Mr. Allen fired a Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, striking a Secret Service officer once in the chest. The officer, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, drew his service weapon and fired five times at Mr. Allen, who tripped and fell to the ground and was taken into custody without being shot.
At the time of his arrest, Mr. Allen was found in possession of the shotgun with one spent cartridge in the barrel, a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol, dozens of rounds of unspent shotgun and pistol ammunition, two knives, four daggers, multiple sheaths and holsters, needle nose pliers, and wire cutters, prosecutors said.
Mr. Allen left behind a manifesto, written ahead of his actions, in which he said: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” He also wrote: “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
Mr. Allen said he planned to target administration officials inside the ballroom, “prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
The ballroom was filled with Trump administration officials, members of his Cabinet and lawmakers from the House and Senate.
Mr. Allen entered not guilty pleas days after seeking to disqualify acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from direct involvement in prosecuting him. Mr. Allen’s lawyers argued that because they attended the dinner, Mr. Blanche and Ms. Pirro could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, which creates a conflict of interest.
