In a desperate courtroom gambit, lawyers for accused White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman Cole Allen tried to argue that their client wasn’t really equipped for a mass shooting — because, wait for it — he brought the “wrong kind” of gun.
Allen, 31, stands accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump during one of Washington’s most high-profile, security-heavy events — a night packed with power players, including the president, Melania Trump, and top administration officials.
But his defense team initially insisted the whole thing was overblown.
“Mr. Allen was not alleged to be holding an automatic or even semi-automatic weapon that are the hallmarks of the modern day mass shooting,” his attorneys wrote in a filing that raised more eyebrows than sympathy. Don’t worry, your honor — it was just a pump-action shotgun. Because nothing says “harmless” like a fully loaded 12-gauge Mossberg with an extended magazine, allegedly carried while trying to force past Secret Service at a presidential event.
Prosecutors, not surprisingly, weren’t buying it. And neither should anyone with a memory longer than five minutes. Shotguns have been used in some of America’s most notorious massacres — from Columbine High School massacre to Aurora theater shooting and the Santa Fe High School shooting.
Even more chilling: feds say Allen didn’t stop at one weapon. Court documents describe a selfie he snapped before the chaos — allegedly showing him armed with a .38-caliber semi-automatic handgun and multiple knives. Not exactly the Boy Scout image his lawyers were pitching.
And speaking of image rehab, the defense leaned hard into character references, painting Allen as a churchgoing, community-minded educator.
“He is a devout Christian… a loved and respected teacher… [who] has always demonstrated kindness, empathy and compassion and never violence,” they wrote.
That might play well at a parish potluck, but it’s a tougher sell when there’s reportedly a manifesto involved.
According to prosecutors, Allen circulated a letter expressing his desire to kill members of the Trump administration — though, curiously, sparing FBI Director Kash Patel.
His lawyers tried to split hairs on that point, arguing the alleged plot wasn’t specifically aimed at Trump himself. “The government’s evidence… is built entirely upon speculation,” they claimed, insisting the letter “falls well short of narrowing those officials to President Trump.”
That argument didn’t last long. In a swift about-face during Thursday’s hearing, defense attorney Tezira Abe waved the white flag — at least for now. “At this time, we are conceding detention,” she said, signaling that Allen will remain behind bars pending trial.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, are stacking serious charges: attempted assassination of a president, interstate transport of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharging a weapon during a violent crime.
Authorities say Allen traveled, armed himself heavily, and tried to breach a secured perimeter at one of the most protected events in the country.
The defense may try another run at bail down the road. But after this week’s performance, they might want to rethink the “it was only a shotgun” line.
