The alleged gunman from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner will remain in detention ahead of trial after he and his attorney agreed to the detention.
Cole Allen, 31, is facing three federal charges after police say he stormed past security checkpoints at the Washington Hilton in an attempt to kill members of the Trump administration who were gathered for the annual event honoring the media.
Allen’s public defenders informed the judge at a hearing Thursday that he would not be looking to challenge the government’s action to keep him detained before a trial.
Still, they said he reserves the right to revisit the issue in the future, The Hill reported.
Prosecutors were looking to continue with the hearing despite Allen agreeing, by saying that the government should prove that his detention is necessary. The judge said it was an “unprecedented” and “completely inefficient” thing to do since Allen had already agreed to remain in detention.
Allen’s lawyers asked for him to be removed from a 24-hour “safe cell” in the jail, but the judge said she did not have the authority to make that call.
As it stands, Allen’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
Allen, who is from California, was arraigned on Monday in federal court and charged with attempted assassination of a president, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He was also charged with transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony, which has a maximum of 10 years in prison. Allen allegedly left his home near Los Angeles and traveled to Chicago and Chicago to Washington via train.
Allen allegedly checked into the Hilton hotel on Friday and on Saturday evening stormed past a security checkpoint before being stopped by Secret Service. One officer was shot in the chest but had a bullet-proof vest on, and is recovering well. However, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche could not confirm on Monday if the officer was shot by Allen’s gun or a fellow officer. He said the exact ballistic information would take more time.
Officials on Monday detailed Allen’s movements and his belongings. He reportedly was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. They also detailed how Allen had a manifesto that he sent to his family members moments before he rushed security, where he said his targets were administration officials but he would be willing to “go through most everyone” at the event to get to them.
The government is leaning on that fact, noting that had Allen been successful, not only would he have caused a mass shooting, he could have “destabilized” the entire federal government since so many high-ranking officials were in the room. It’s something that has been examined by the administration in the aftermath, given that so many in the line of succession were at the dinner.
Security at the event has also been scrutinized, as Allen pointed out in his manifesto, the general public was still able to check into the hotel and he was not put through a security screening in the lobby or main areas of the hotel. Other WHCA events were taking place in the hotel for those who were not attending the actual dinner, and the dinner took place on a different floor from where Allen was apprehended. Still, it’s sparked debate about hosting the event at the hotel, as it has done for decades, and President Trump has pointed to the need for the annual dinner to be hosted in the ballroom at the White House that’s under construction.