Judge Issues Stunning Apology To Suspected Wannabe Trump Assassin

A magistrate judge on Monday apologized to the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD).

Judge Zia Faruqui, in a District of Columbia courtroom, grilled jail officials over the conditions Cole Allen, the suspect, has faced behind bars.

“I’m sorry,” Faruqui told Allen, who was reportedly held in solitary confinement. “Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize for the prior week,” according to USA Today.

Jail officials placed Allen on a temporary suicide watch that required 24-hour-a-day placement in a padded, lighted cell without access to phone calls, books, religious material, or recreational time. The judge called those measures punitive and not based on any known medical assessment, according to Politico.

Faruqui, who has overseen January 6 cases, said Allen was being housed in more extreme conditions and treated more severely than those defendants, who were held in a lower restriction part of the jail called the Central Treatment Facility.

“The Jan. 6 defendants all were moved to the CTF,” Faruqui said, according to Politico. “Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history … He’s being treated differently than anyone I’ve ever observed.”

He continued drawing similarities, comparing the January 6 attack at the Capitol to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.

“This is not the jail’s first go around with people engaged in alleged political violence,” Faruqui said, according to USA Today.

Monday’s hearing proceeded despite Allen’s lawyers withdrawing their request after learning he was no longer on “suicide status.” Faruqui said he had “grave concerns” about Allen being held in solitary confinement, according to CBS News.

At the end of the hearing, Faruqui directed D.C. jail officials to report back by Tuesday morning on whether — and when — Allen would be moved to less restrictive conditions.

Before becoming a magistrate judge, Faruqui served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 2008 to 2020, according to his public LinkedIn profile. He earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from Georgetown University. The Georgetown Pakistan Public Policy Conclave and the Muslim Bar Association of New York have pages highlighting Faruqui’s career. 

Monday’s hearing is not the first time Faruqui has tussled with the Department of Justice. Seven months ago, he claimed the DOJ had lost credibility under the Trump administration, which provoked a fiery response from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. 

“Judge Faruqui has never really met someone with an illegal gun that he hasn’t felt some compassion for,” Pirro said at the time. “He should do his job as a judge and leave his politics out of it.”

Authorities say Cole Thomas Allen, 31, was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives when he charged through a security checkpoint inside the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the WHCD was being held.

One floor above the ballroom packed with government officials and reporters, Allen discharged one of his weapons, striking a Secret Service agent before falling to the ground. 

Allen faces charges of attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted, he faces life in prison.