Judge questions jail conditions for alleged White House gala shooter

Federal Judge Zia Faruqui criticized the D.C. jail’s handling of Cole Allen, the accused White House Correspondents' Dinner gunman, including suicide-watch, isolation and limited access to legal materials, phones, and private attorney meetings. He apologized to Allen for the early confinement and urged the DOC to update the court on where Allen will be detained before trial, with officials promising steps like setting up a read-access tablet. The hearing highlighted concerns about the treatment of low‑profile defendants and drew comparisons to pardoned Jan. 6 defendants as the case moves toward pretrial detention decisions.