Gala shooting suspect seeks to disqualify DOJ officials
The man charged with trying to kill U.S. President Donald Trump during an attack at a gala in the nation’s capital last month is seeking to disqualify top Justice Department officials from being involved in his prosecution.
Cole Tomas Allen said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro should be disqualified because they are potential crime-scene witnesses and have made public comments that are prejudicial to his defense.
“There is a fine line between disinterested prosecution and a prosecution stained with apparent conflicts of interest,” Allen’s lawyers said in a court filing late Thursday.
Blanche and Pirro were guests along with Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner last month when Allen was taken into custody for allegedly running through a security checkpoint and opening fire with a shotgun.
“Both heard gunshots, which presumably forced them to duck below the tables with the rest of the occupants,” according to the filing. “Their active involvement in the prosecution of Mr. Allen therefore creates grave concerns about whether they are making prosecutorial decisions as representatives of the government or as witnesses.”
The filing also cites comments that Blanche and Pirro have made publicly since the attack that Allen’s lawyers say could be viewed as prejudicial.
The suspect’s lawyers argued that all prosecutors from Pirro’s office, which is leading the case, may have to be recused.
Pirro said her office “will evaluate the motion and respond in court.”
“We will not tolerate people who come to the District of Columbia to engage in antidemocratic acts of political violence; and we will prosecute all such acts to the fullest extent of the law,” Pirro said in a statement.
Blanche’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
[ad-1}
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
