White House Correspondents' Dinner Suspect Seeks Recusal of Top DOJ Officials

Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner attack, has requested the recusal of top Justice Department officials, including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Allen's defense attorneys, Eugene Ohm and Tezira Abe, filed a court document arguing that Blanche and Pirro's presence at the April 25 event, where Allen allegedly fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, makes them potential victims or witnesses. This, they contend, creates an appearance of a conflict of interest for them to make prosecutorial decisions in the case.

The defense attorneys suggested the appointment of a special prosecutor and urged U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify Pirro, Blanche, and other Justice Department officials from direct involvement. They stated, "how can the American justice system permit a victim to prosecute a criminal defendant in a case involving them?" Pirro, in response, stated that her office will address the arguments in a court filing and that they "will not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in antidemocratic acts of political violence." Allen faces charges including attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, assaulting a federal officer, and firearms counts.