DC Judge Issues Shocking Apology to Accused Trump Assassin Cole Tomas Allen
The apology marks the latest clash between Faruqui and the DOJ. Seven months ago, he claimed the DOJ had “lost credibility” under the Trump administration.
Tommy Flynn
U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui apologized Monday in federal court to Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old California man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
Allen is accused of rushing a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026, during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, he fired a shotgun, striking a Secret Service agent in the vest. Trump and senior officials were evacuated unharmed. Allen faces charges of attempted assassination of the president, transporting a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces life in prison if convicted.
During a May 4 hearing on Allen’s D.C. Jail conditions, Faruqui expressed “grave concerns” over his placement in solitary confinement under suicide watch in a padded cell with no access to a Bible, phone calls, books, or recreation. The judge called the measures punitive and not medically justified.
“I’m sorry. Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize for the prior week,” Faruqui told Allen directly. He ordered jail officials to report by Tuesday on moving Allen to less restrictive housing.
Faruqui, who has presided over January 6 cases, compared Allen’s treatment unfavorably to J6 defendants, who were moved to the Central Treatment Facility. “The Jan. 6 defendants all were moved to the CTF,” he said. “Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history … He’s being treated differently than anyone I’ve ever observed.” He added, “This is not the jail’s first go-around with people engaged in alleged political violence.”
The apology marks the latest clash between Faruqui and the DOJ. Seven months ago, he claimed the DOJ had “lost credibility” under the Trump administration. Then-U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro responded: “Judge Faruqui has never really met someone with an illegal gun that he hasn’t felt some compassion for. He should do his job as a judge and leave his politics out of it.”
Allen’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11.
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