Allen, the defendant in the U.S. White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting case, appeared in the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia on the 11th and pleaded not guilty to all charges, including attempting to assassinate U.S. President Trump.
During the brief court session, Allen did not speak; his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf. The charges against Allen include attempting to assassinate the president, assaulting federal officials, and illegal possession of firearms.
Allen’s lawyer also requested to disqualify Acting Attorney General Blanche and D.C. Federal Prosecutor Pirro, who are directly involved in the prosecution of Allen, arguing that since they attended the correspondents’ dinner, they could potentially be victims or witnesses in the case, leading to a possible conflict of interest.
The lawyer stated that the defense may seek to disqualify Pirro’s office from participating in the case. Judge McFadden did not rule on this request.
Allen is scheduled to appear in court again on June 29.
On April 25, the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was held in the underground banquet hall of the Washington Hilton Hotel, attended by President Trump and his wife, Vice President Vance, and other officials. Surveillance footage shows Allen rushing through hotel security with a firearm, prompting security personnel to draw their guns in pursuit, leading to a shootout. Allen was subdued in the corridor outside the banquet hall, and police confiscated a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. According to U.S. media reports, if convicted, Allen could face life imprisonment for the single charge of attempting to assassinate the president.