Defense seeks to remove top Justice officials from White House dinner attack case

The fight over the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attack is now moving beyond the shooting itself and into a test of prosecutorial independence. Cole Tomas Allen’s defense has asked a federal judge to remove Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from direct involvement, arguing that their presence at the April 25 dinner creates at least the appearance of a conflict.

The motion says Blanche and Pirro were at the Washington Hilton when Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, allegedly ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. Defense lawyers contend that because both officials were present at the scene, they may be witnesses or victims, making it improper for them to oversee prosecutorial decisions in the case. The defense is also pressing the court to consider whether a special prosecutor should be appointed or whether participation by those officials, and possibly others at the Justice Department, should be limited.

At the center of the request is a basic question of fairness. To get recusal, the defense must persuade the judge that the officials’ personal involvement is more than a technical issue and serious enough to undermine confidence in the prosecution. That is an uncommon step, especially when it reaches the top ranks of the Justice Department and involves a high-profile federal case tied to a politically charged public event.

The government has already moved quickly on the case. The Justice Department said Allen was arraigned in U.S. District Court on April 27, 2026, on a complaint charging attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Prosecutors later said a four-count indictment was issued, adding a charge that Allen attempted to assassinate President Donald J. Trump in connection with the same shooting.

Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and Pirro held a press conference after Allen’s initial appearance, a detail now underscoring the defense’s argument that the case is too personally entangled for the same officials to steer it. Pirro’s office said it would file its own response to the recusal motion, while she separately said the government would not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in political violence.

The dinner, a high-profile annual gathering of journalists, White House officials and politicians, gives the case an added sensitivity. The shooting took place in the middle of that setting, and the recusal dispute now raises a larger issue than one defendant alone: whether senior Justice Department officials can remain on a case after being present at the event that triggered it.