US Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui, a top DC federal judge, apologized Monday to the man accused of trying to kill President Trump and his top aides at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, claiming the would-be suspect’s jail conditions are “too harsh.”
Faruqui told suspect Cole Allen, 31, he was “sorry” that the suspect had been held under suicide watch despite a mental-health exam finding he did not pose a threat to harm himself.
According to firsthand accounts from those inside the courtroom yesterday, Faruqui said it was the court’s job to make sure Allen was jailed responsibly and fairly — and that the accused killer was “being treated differently than anyone I’ve ever observed.
“Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize for the prior week,” the judge told Allen, according to a report by USA Today.
The move prompted immediate backlash from prosecutors.
US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro commented on X, saying: “Welcome to Washington, DC, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Faruqui believes a defendant armed to the teeth and attempting to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment in his confinement compared to every other defendant.”
Welcome to Washington, DC, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Faruqui believes a defendant armed to the teeth and attempting to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment in his confinement compared to every other defendant. https://t.co/EPtqJgXjnb
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) May 4, 2026
Federal prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine argued that the FBI recommended the measure of being on suicide watch and in confinement because Allen told agents after his apprehension on April 25 that “he did not expect to survive the attempted assassination of the president.”
However, Faruqui said he didn’t think Allen’s statement in custody meant he planned to kill himself but rather that he expected to be shot during his assault on the black-tie soiree at the Washington Hilton hotel.
According to CNBC, Allen’s lawyer, Eugene Jeen-Young Kim Ohm, informed the judge that Allen had been held in a padded cell and was on what amounted to a 24-hour lockdown.
Ohm claimed Allen wasn’t allowed to make a call to him, was barred from having any court records in his cell and wasn’t even allowed to have a Bible.
“It just doesn’t add up,” Faruqui said, as he noted people convicted of more serious crimes were held in less restrictive conditions than Allen was being held in.
“He should not be in solitary confinement,” the judge said.
Faruqui ordered prosecutors to update him by this morning about where Allen will be held going forward and said he’d need justification for any decision to tighten restrictions on him in jail.
Allen’s lawyers also claimed their client was “escorted to the shower,” stripped searched any time he came into or left his cell and was made to wear a padded vest, according to reports.
“These conditions are excessive restrictions on his liberty that serve no justifiable purpose and deprive Mr. Allen of dignity while incarcerated,” Allen’s team wrote in a court statement.
Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
He has yet to enter a plea and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
This is an ongoing story. Check back for further updates.