Cole Allen pleads not guilty to attempting to assassinate President...

Cole Allen pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday to all charges in the four-count federal indictment against him, including the allegation that he attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at last month’s White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington. Allen also faces assault and firearms charges in the case brought by the District of Columbia prosecutors’ office led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Ahead of his arraignment, Allen filed a motion seeking to disqualify Pirro and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche from involvement in the case, noting that both of them “were present at the scene during the alleged incident” and “have made statements indicating that they were witnesses to events at the Washington Hilton that evening.” The defendant’s lawyers further observed in the motion that Trump is the primary alleged victim in the case and that the president and Pirro “have a well-document [sic] relationship for over three decades.” Other pretrial motions are likely to follow as well, and the government will need to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt if the case goes to trial. The Justice Department has cited an “Apology and Explanation” letter purportedly authored by Allen. On it was a list of points under “On to why I did any of this” that said, among other things, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” This is a developing story. Check back for updates.