A man accused of attacking the White House Correspondents’ dinner with guns and knives said he is not guilty. He is accused of trying to kill President Donald Trump and shooting at a Secret Service officer. The man pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Cole Tomas Allen was in handcuffs and wore an orange jail uniform in court. He did not speak during the short hearing. His lawyer said he was not guilty for him.

Allen’s lawyers want two important Justice Department officials to not be involved in his case. They think this is because these officials could be seen as victims or witnesses, which could be a problem.

Two important officials, Todd Blanche and Jeanine Pirro, were at the event when Allen attacked. Allen’s lawyer, Eugene Ohm, said they might ask for Pirro’s whole office to not be involved in the case. They were at the event when Allen ran through security and shot at an officer.

The judge, Trevor McFadden, did not make a decision about this request. He asked Allen’s lawyers to explain more about what they are asking for.

Eugene Ohm said they will likely ask for Pirro’s office to not be involved. Ohm knows it is unlikely they will ask for the whole Justice Department to not be involved.

The judge said, 'That would be quite a request.'

The judge gave prosecutors until May 22 to respond to the request. He asked if Pirro and another official could be seen as victims in the case.

The judge said, 'That might add some clarity here.'

Allen’s lawyers suggested that a special prosecutor might be needed.

A Secret Service officer was shot during the attack on April 25. The event was stopped early because of the attack. Allen, 31, was hurt but not shot.

Allen will return to court on June 29.

Allen is also charged with attacking a federal officer and with two firearms charges. He could get life in prison if found guilty of trying to kill the president.

Allen was watched for suicide after his arrest. He was later removed from this status. His lawyers said he was treated unfairly in jail.

Allen told the FBI he did not expect to survive the attack. This might be why he was watched for suicide.

Before the attack, Allen took a photo of himself with guns and a knife. He sent a message that explained why he did the attack.

Allen called himself a 'Friendly Federal Assassin' in the message. He talked about being upset with the president’s administration.

The police said Allen reserved a hotel room where the event would happen. He traveled from California and checked into the hotel the day before the event.

The president was taken off the stage by his security team during the attack. He later spoke at the White House about the attack.

The president said, 'When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone.' He said the attacker seemed to be alone.

There was gunfire at the White House correspondents’ dinner.