Judge rebukes prosecutors in case against alleged correspondents' dinner gunman

A federal judge scolded prosecutors for pressing ahead with detention arguments in the case against Cole Allen, even after Allen agreed to remain in custody. During the April 30 hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya warned the government against turning the proceeding into a spectacle, saying, “I don’t want this to turn into a circus.”

The rebuke went beyond courtroom etiquette. Upadhyaya pushed back on the Justice Department’s desire to argue detention despite Allen’s waiver, and she also said she did not want a “big fight over discovery” on the record. Her comments suggested concern that prosecutors were trying to use a routine early hearing to shape the public narrative around a politically volatile case, rather than simply resolve the narrow custody question before the court.

The hearing is part of a fast-moving federal prosecution tied to the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where roughly 2,600 guests had gathered, including President Donald Trump and senior administration officials. Federal charges announced April 27 include attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Prosecutors say Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6 for April 24 to 26, then traveled by train from near Los Angeles to Chicago and on to Washington. Court filings and official statements say Allen allegedly carried a 12-gauge shotgun, a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol and multiple knives. Law enforcement tackled him after an exchange of gunfire near the hotel’s main security screening area, and officials said a Secret Service officer was struck in a protective vest.

The judge’s criticism underscored how the early phases of the case have already become a test of prosecutorial discretion in a politically sensitive setting. A detention hearing normally addresses whether a defendant should remain jailed before trial, but here Allen had already agreed not to contest custody. That made the government’s push for a broader fight all the more notable, particularly in a case where public statements and courtroom strategy are under close scrutiny.

The next hearing is set for May 11. The shooting disrupted not only a high-profile political-media event but also the annual dinner that helps finance the White House Correspondents’ Association’s scholarships and journalism awards. After the attack, the Washington Hilton donated 2,600 unserved dinners, a small measure of aftermath from an episode that rattled one of Washington’s most visible gatherings.