Correspondent’s Dinner suspect entering not guilty plea ‘completely expected’: former prosecutor

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]Let's bring in a former federal prosecutor for the District of New Jersey, Michelle Eppler. Good to see you. Thanks for taking the time.

[00:00:06]Thank you for having me. This not guilty plea expected or not?

[00:00:10]Completely expected. Um literally every single defendant at arraignment pleads guilty pleads not guilty even if they intend to eventually uh try to cut a deal.

[00:00:22]The prosecutors are pursuing attempted assassination charges. Uh your read on that, Mr. Eppler.

[00:00:29]Well, this is a case where the if the materials that have been provided by the prosecutors are to be believed, uh the defendant literally confessed in writing that it was exactly what he was trying to do.

[00:00:43]Yeah, and so I'm also curious, you know, about this whole issue involving the defense arguing that some of those top justice officials should be removed because of a alleged conflict of interest. Uh your take on that. Is there a conflict of interest or not?

[00:00:57]Uh I think that the braggadocio with which uh Todd Blanche engineer who's the acting you um attorney general and Janine Pirro who is the US attorney for the district of the District of Columbia, that they've acted with inject them as potential witnesses in this case. I don't think that they would be actual witnesses, um but the request for them to be recused is not ridiculous, but it's a mere speed bump in this prosecution.

[00:01:28]>> Yeah, I mean, it doesn't actually change much in the case, does it?

[00:01:33]Not at all. Mhm. Now, talk to me a little bit about the narrative here. The suspect said to have traveled across the country from California, planned ahead, and I wonder that plus the manifesto, I mean, how does that strengthen the argument here for the prosecution of both Well, as you were touching on a moment ago, uh premeditation and intent?

[00:01:52]So, in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, the uh federal prosecutors there talked about some cases being like the United States versus Grenada. This is the legal equivalent of the United States versus Grenada. It is an absolute unlosable case by the federal government.

[00:02:10]>> Uh the suspect's reported mental state, does that play into this at all?

[00:02:15]So, there is the potential that he could try to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He did not do that today, and it would be very difficult to do that given the fact that his manifesto makes it very clear he understood the nature of quality and illegality of his actions.

[00:02:34]>> Mhm. And the accused uh reportedly under a suicide watch and strict jail conditions. Uh what's your read on that?

[00:02:42]So, that is the one thing that the federal government has done so far that has gotten them in trouble with the judge. Uh suicide watch is an extraordinarily unpleasant thing in federal prison because basically instead of being in usually bad circumstances wearing an orange jumpsuit, the um the accused is put in the equivalent of a gym mat that is the only clothing that they have so that they can't twist it up and create a noose out of it, but they're basically kept in 24 hour a day bright lights and um in something that's not really clothing. It's extraordinarily uncomfortable. People have often joked that if somebody wasn't already suicidal, being put on suicide watch could make somebody suicidal.

[00:03:35]Um and the judge was not impressed with the federal government's claims as to why this individual needed to be put on suicide watch and basically ordered that he be taken off of suicide watch.

[00:03:47]>> Mhm. Mitchell Epner, a former federal prosecutor in the District of New Jersey. Thank you for taking time for us in Canada.

[00:03:53]Thank you so much.