• Updated

This image taken from video provided by Youssef Adel, shows a man with an assault-style rifle firing his weapon at a busy road outside at in Cambridge, Mass. on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Youssef Adel via AP)

  • Updated

This image taken from video provided by Youssef Adel, shows a man with an assault-style rifle laid down on the ground after firing his weapons at a busy road outside in Cambridge, Mass. on Monday, May 11, 2026. (Youssef Adel via AP)

A California man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives has pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill President Donald Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop the attack. Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment on Monday. Allen didn’t speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.

A man charged with attacking the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is seeking to disqualify top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the April 25 event at the Washington Hilton when Cole Tomas Allen allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. In a court filing Thursday, Allen’s attorneys argued that it creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.