Cole Allen Pleads Not Guilty To Trying To Assassinate President...

Cole Allen pleaded not guilty to trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last month.MS NOW detailed that Allen pleaded not guilty to the four counts against him. He didn't do it personally, with an attorney making the plea on his behalf. He was shackled at his waist and wrists. He is scheduled to return to court on June 29. Should he be convicted, he could face life in prison over the attempted assassination charge alone.Allen was removed from suicide watch in jail last week. His attorneys had been complaining about him being kept on suicide status, saying it was unnecessary and he was being deprived of his dignity and resources.They went on to say in a motion that his "placement on suicide watch and suicide precautions amount to violations of his rights under the Due Process Clause to the U.S. Constitution" because he has not shown any signs of being suicidal.Federal Prosecutors noted last week that Allen arrived in Washington, D.C., armed with several deadly weapon, including a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol. He also had three knives on him.Before making his way to the capital, Allen wrote to family members about the "rage" he felt toward the Trump administration."I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done," Allen stated, based on transcripts provided to the network. "I don't expect forgiveness. Again, my sincere apologies."The writing also detailed Allen's plans for targeting officials inside the dinner: "Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest," a passage of the letter read.The Associated Press reported that the message also used a jarringly friendly tone. Allen described himself as the "Friendly Federal Assassin" and opened with a seemingly upbeat "hello everybody!"CBS News also reported that Allen had a room on the tenth floor of the hotel where the White House Correspondents' dinner was being held.According to the network, Allen used a stairwell to avoid security and, once on the event floor, ran through the final security checkpoint in a desperate attempt to access the dinner. An exchange of fire between Allen and security then ensued, with one officer being struck but not seriously injured due to a bulletproof vest. He was then tackled and subdued.Trump called Allen a "thug" who "attacked our Constitution." "He's a sick person, a very sick person, and we don't want things like this to happen."