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  "path": "/politics/us/donald-trump-assassin-treatment-judge",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-05T15:38:35.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "WATCH: Pete Hegseth issues fresh ultimatum to Iran as he warns of 'overwhelming American firepower'",
    "White House 'locked down' as Secret Service shoots man next to Washington Monument",
    "Donald Trump says US will 'guide' ships in Strait of Hormuz as UKMTO issues stark warning",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA US magistrate judge offered an apology to the man accused of trying to kill President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, expressing deep unease about his treatment behind bars.\n\nJudge Zia Faruqui told Cole Allen during a hearing in Washington on Monday: \"Whatever you've been through, I apologise.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe judge voiced \"grave concerns\" regarding Allen's incarceration, arguing he had a duty to ensure the accused was \"treated with the basic decency of a human being\".\n\nJudge Faruqui drew a pointed comparison with those who attacked the US Capitol on January 6 2021, suggesting Allen had received harsher treatment than the rioters despite facing comparable allegations.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe judge said: \"I'm fascinated and disturbed.\"\n\nAccording to court documents, Allen has been held on suicide watch despite his defence team claiming he has shown no suicidal tendencies across multiple evaluations.\n\nThe former tutor is confined to a padded cell in a Washington jail where lights remain on constantly, and he must wear a restrictive vest described as similar to a straitjacket.\n\nHis movements are severely limited, with departures from the cell permitted only for legal or medical appointments.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nEach time Allen leaves or returns, he is subjected to a strip search.\n\nHis lawyers argue that he is also barred from bringing legal documents into his cell, a restriction they say hampers his capacity to participate in preparing his own defence.\n\nAllen's legal representatives contend that keeping him under suicide precautions serves no purpose and breaches his due process rights by stripping him of dignity and denying him access to jail resources.\n\nThe defence team argued that his living conditions effectively constitute punishment, though they stopped short of alleging that authorities had deliberately set out to punish their client.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * WATCH: Pete Hegseth issues fresh ultimatum to Iran as he warns of 'overwhelming American firepower'\n  * White House 'locked down' as Secret Service shoots man next to Washington Monument\n  * Donald Trump says US will 'guide' ships in Strait of Hormuz as UKMTO issues stark warning\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWhile acknowledging the gravity of the charges against Allen, who allegedly carried a shotgun, handgun and knives, Judge Faruqui emphasised that detention before trial should not serve as a form of punishment.\n\nThe judge instructed the DC Department of Corrections to provide an update on Allen's circumstances by Tuesday.\n\nProsecutors allege Allen discharged a firearm in a hotel lobby near the dinner venue and possessed a list of senior Trump administration officials ranked by priority.\n\nJeanine Pirro, who is heading the prosecution against Allen, hit back at the judge's remarks later on Monday.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMs Pirro said: \"Welcome to Washington, DC, where US 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.\"\n\nAllen faces charges including attempting to assassinate the president, transporting firearms and ammunition across state lines, and discharging a weapon during a violent crime.\n\nHe has yet to enter a plea to the charges.\n\nThe accused has consented to remain in custody after his defence chose not to challenge prosecutors' assertions that he represents a danger.\n\nAt his initial court appearance a week earlier, three US marshals escorted and surrounded the defendant throughout the proceedings.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Judge apologises to Donald Trump’s ‘would-be assassin’ for poor treatment"
}