Judge Apologizes to DC Shooting Suspect Over His Jail Treatment

‘Right now, it’s not working. It’s insufficient. I think it’s legally deficient,’ the judge said about the alleged assassin’s confinement.

This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Allen (L), the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, seen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, in Washington on April 27, 2026. Dana Verkouteren via AP

A U.S. judge apologized on Monday to the man accused of a failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump and other top officials during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, appointed by a panel of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in September 2020, added that he was disturbed by the “legally deficient” treatment suspect Cole Allen has faced.