Man charged in Trump assassination plot told FBI he didn't think he'd survive, feds say

Justice DepartmentMan charged in Trump assassination plot told FBI he didn't think he'd survive, feds sayA federal magistrate judge pressed the government over how alleged White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooter Cole Allen is being treated behind bars.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Cole Allen.Department of JusticeShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 4, 2026, 2:18 PM EDTBy Gary Grumbach and Ryan J. ReillyWASHINGTON — The man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner last month told the FBI he didn't expect to survive the attack, a federal prosecutor told a magistrate judge on Monday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The disclosure came at a hearing called by federal Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, who pressed the government over how Cole Allen was being treated behind bars. Allen appeared at the hearing in an orange jumpsuit, scanning the room when he entered and occasionally nodding along with the proceedings.Allen had been placed on suicide precautions in a D.C. jail, but his federal public defenders said he was taken off those conditions. Eugene Ohm, one of the federal public defenders representing him, said Allen had been placed in a padded cell in 24-hour lockdown with constant lighting. Judge Faruqui noted that this was not the first time the D.C. jail had handled defendants charged in cases of political violence. “A lot of people seem to have forgotten about Jan. 6 but I have not," he said, referring to the hundreds of Capitol riot cases handled by D.C. federal courts. "Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history."Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court that Allen told the FBI that he didn't expect to survive the incident after his arrest on April 25. “It’s clear he did not expect to survive it, which gives rise to potential concern for suicide,”...