A federal magistrate judge apologized to the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, saying the suspect’s conditions in jail are too harsh.
During a May 4 hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui described Cole Tomas Allen’s jail conditions as “disturbing,” after Allen’s attorneys argued he had been unnecessarily subjected to restrictive confinement measures following his arrest, according to NBC4 Washington.
Officials at the Washington, D.C., jail lifted Allen’s “suicide status” over the weekend after his attorneys said he had been held in a padded room under constant lighting, repeatedly strip-searched, and restrained when outside his cell, NBC4 Washington reported. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm reportedly said Allen was prohibited from having personal items in his cell and had requested a Bible and a visit from a chaplain but had received neither.
Faruqui said the change in Allen’s suicide status did not fully address his concerns.
“It could drive a person crazy to be in that situation,” he said, according to NBC4 Washington.
The judge apologized directly to Allen in court, saying he was “very troubled by what they indicate the conditions that you have been subjected to.”
“I’m sorry. It sounds like things have not been the way they’re supposed to,” he said, the outlet reported. “Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize."
The judge’s apology drew criticism from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who said in an X post that Faruqui “believes a defendant armed to the teeth and attempting to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment in his confinement compared to every other defendant.”
Welcome to Washington, DC, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Faruqui believes a defendant armed to the teeth and attempting to assassinate the president is entitled to preferential treatment in his confinement compared to every other defendant. https://t.co/EPtqJgXjnb
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) May 4, 2026
Faruqui also said Allen appeared to pose a lower threat to jail safety than some defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
“To me, it’s extremely disturbing that he was put in five-point restraints, a person with no criminal history,” Faruqui said, according to CNBC. “It’s troubling. I never heard of one Jan. 6 defendant who was put in five-point restraints or in a safe cell. If the only way to keep him safe is the most punitive thing, that’s a problem.”
NBC4 Washington reported that Allen’s attorneys said he did not show suicidal risk factors after his arrest, but a jail psychiatrist initially concluded that he posed a suicide risk, according to Tony Towns, acting general counsel for the city’s corrections department.
“Every case is different, your honor,” Towns said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine, who is prosecuting the case, said May 4 that Allen told FBI agents after the attack that he did not expect to live, which she argued “gives rise to potential concern for suicide,” according to CBS News.
Faruqui, who was appointed by the district court judges as a U.S. magistrate judge in 2020, has become a frequent critic of the Justice Department’s handling of cases during both administrations, raising concerns about prosecutorial practices and detention conditions. During the Trump administration’s 2025 law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., he raised concerns about weak charges and unnecessary detentions, according to NBC4 Washington. He has also handled numerous Jan. 6 cases and, in 2022, criticized delays as infringing on defendants’ rights, Politico reported.
As Zeale News previously reported, Allen faces charges of attempting to assassinate the President, transporting a firearm across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the assassination charge