(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner is seeking to disqualify two top DOJ officials, citing what his attorneys claim to be a conflict of interest.
The suspect, Cole Allen, filed a motion through his attorneys Thursday, asking the court to remove Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro from the prosecution.
The defense attorneys claim the Justice Department officials must be disqualified because they were present during the alleged assassination attempt and therefore cannot be considered impartial overseers of the case.
“To guard against the unavoidable potential for individual and institutional abuse, prosecutors must endeavor to be ‘disinterested’ in the outcomes of the cases they oversee,” Allen’s legal team wrote.
They added that a Justice Department employee “must recuse where he or she is a participant in the events alleged in the indictment, particularly where they are an alleged victim of said events.”
Allen’s legal team further argued that both Blanche and Pirro could be witnesses, targets or victims in the case. As such, they hold influence over the case’s key developments, including potential charges, plea deals or sentencing in the event a conviction is returned by a jury.
Allen faces a grand jury indictment on four felony counts, including attempted assassination of a president, assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony.
His next court appearance is scheduled for May 11.
If convicted, Allen faces life in prison without parole.
