Suspect in Alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting Will Not Contest Pretrial Detention, Defense Says

Cole Tomas Allen, the man charged in an alleged attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ dinner, told a federal court he will not contest pretrial detention as the case moves forward.

Allen, who spoke briefly during Thursday’s hearing, is accused of rushing through a security checkpoint during Saturday night’s event — which included the president and senior administration officials — and attempting to reach the dinner venue. He appeared before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya just after 11 a.m. ET in orange jail scrubs.

Defense counsel informed the court they would not challenge detention after reporting recent difficulties meeting with Allen. "We had difficulties meeting with Allen over the past couple of days. We are conceding detention," one attorney said. Judge Upadhyaya responded that because the defendant accepted detention, she would deny the prosecutors' request to argue for continued custody at that time, calling the situation "truly unprecedented."

Defense concerns about jail treatment. Allen’s lawyers told the court he has been held in 24/7 lockdown at the jail and objected to that treatment. Attorney Tezira Abe said the defense was told Allen should have been moved out of a safe cell but remains confined. "There is no reason, to our understanding, why he should be in the safe cell. It was nothing he said or did at intake. He's not a danger to anyone in the jail," Abe said.

Prosecutors' detention memo. Prosecutors had filed a memo arguing that no set of conditions could reasonably assure public safety if Allen were released, citing what they describe as extensive planning in advance of the dinner and the potential for lethal harm. The government described the alleged plot as an instance of "extreme political violence" and stressed the heightened gravity of an attempted murder charge when the intended target is the President and other high-ranking officials.

Key factual disputes. A central factual disagreement remains over whether Allen fired his shotgun and whether a Secret Service agent was struck. Defense attorneys have questioned whether prosecutors have direct evidence showing Allen discharged his weapon or hit the agent. In public comments to Fox News, a representative identified as Jeanine Pirro said Allen "fired that gun in the direction of the Secret Service officer" and noted that the officer fired five times and investigators located five areas consistent with being struck by nine-millimeter rounds, the type of weapon used by service agents.

Prosecutors also say Allen traveled by train from California to Washington, D.C., in the days before the dinner and stayed at the same hotel where the event took place. He was arrested before entering the dining room, which was on a different floor.

Allen is scheduled to return to court on May 11 as the investigation and pretrial proceedings continue. The hearing record was updated with additional information as new details emerged.

Note: Some public reporting attributes statements to a named individual associated with the U.S. Attorney's office; defense counsel and other parties may dispute aspects of the timeline and forensic findings. These details remain part of an active investigation and could change as more evidence is reviewed.