Overview
- Cole Thomas Allen entered a not-guilty plea Monday in federal court in Washington and remains in custody.
- Prosecutors say the case now includes four counts, led by attempted assassination of the president that can carry a life sentence, after a grand jury added an assault charge.
- According to prosecutors, Allen ran through a Secret Service checkpoint at the Washington Hilton and fired a shotgun that struck an agent’s vest, and the agent was treated and released.
- Investigators allege Allen traveled from California, checked into the event hotel, carried a shotgun, a pistol, ammunition and knives, and left a manifesto now under FBI review.
- The defense plans to seek the removal of Jeanine Pirro and Todd Blanche from the case because they attended the dinner, setting up a fight over who leads the prosecution.