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Judge Keeps Top DOJ Officials on Case Over Alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner Attack

The ruling allows Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to remain on the prosecution, rejecting the defense’s claim that their attendance or ties to the president create a legal conflict.

Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, listens as reporters ask questions during his meeting with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Mugshot of Cole Allen, suspected gunman in White House Correspondents Dinner shooting, Image 2 shows Law enforcement personnel detain Cole Tomas Allen, a suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, issuing his ruling Monday, June 22, 2026, denied Cole Tomas Allen’s motion to disqualify Todd Blanche and Jeanine Pirro from supervising the federal prosecution.
  • Federal prosecutors allege Allen tried to assassinate President Donald Trump by running a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton armed with a shotgun, and that a Secret Service officer was wounded during the incident.
  • The defense argued Blanche and Pirro should be removed because they attended the April 26 dinner and Pirro is a friend of the president, but the judge said mere presence does not make them legal victims.
  • Allen has pleaded not guilty, no trial date is set, and prosecutors and defense lawyers are negotiating large-scale pretrial discovery that will include thousands of pages and gigabytes of data.
  • The case is drawing extra scrutiny of Secret Service procedures after other recent shootings near White House checkpoints, which could affect security reviews and how prosecutors and investigators present evidence.