Man charged in White House correspondents' dinner attack pleads not guilty

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]The man accused of storming the White House Correspondents Association dinner while armed with guns and knives has pleaded not guilty to charges he attempted to kill President Donald Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California did not speak during his arraignment but had one of his attorneys enter his plea. Besides the attempted assassination count, Allen is also charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts. A Secret Service agent was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest during the April 25th attack which ultimately prompted an early end to one of the highest profile annual events in the nation's capital.

[00:00:35]Allen was placed on suicide watch after his arrest but jail officials removed him from that status after several days.

[00:00:41]Prosecutors allege Allen took a photo of himself just minutes before the attack wearing an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster, and a sheathed knife.

[00:00:49]>> [music] >> In writings sent to family members, Allen referred to himself as a friendly federal assassin and spoke vaguely to grievances over a range of actions by Trump's administration. Allen's brother, who lives in New London, Connecticut, contacted authorities about the note.

[00:01:02]Authorities say the writings could shed light to his motive. Allen faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone. He's scheduled to return to court on June 29th.