U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui apologized to Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. During a hearing on Monday, Faruqui criticized jail conditions for Allen, who had been placed in solitary confinement on suicide watch. The remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Republican figures.
Judge Zia Faruqui expressed regret to Cole Thomas Allen during a Monday hearing over the suspect's detention conditions at a Washington, D.C., jail. “I’m sorry,” Faruqui told Allen. “Whatever you’ve been through, I apologize for the prior week.” Jail officials had placed the 31-year-old on temporary suicide watch, requiring 24-hour placement in a padded cell, which Faruqui called punitive and lacking medical basis. He compared Allen's treatment unfavorably to that of January 6 defendants housed in the jail's lower-security Central Treatment Facility. “A lot of people have seemed to forget about Jan. 6, but I have not,” Faruqui said. “Pardons erase convictions but do not erase history.”Authorities state that Allen, armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, charged through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. One floor above the ballroom filled with officials and reporters, he fired a weapon, striking a Secret Service agent before falling. If convicted, Allen faces life in prison.The judge's comments have sparked backlash from prominent Republicans. Jeanine Pirro posted on social media: “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.” Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) questioned on X whether Faruqui would visit the suspect in jail. Senator Tim Sheehy cited Faruqui's 2023 order to release Kendrick Hamlin, accused of assaulting Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), despite prosecutors' objections and 25 bench warrants. “Judge Faruqui should be in jail, not on the bench,” Sheehy said.Couy Griffin, a former New Mexico commissioner convicted in a January 6 case, accused Faruqui of keeping him in solitary confinement longer than his 14-day sentence for misdemeanor trespass. Earlier, Faruqui had served as an assistant U.S. attorney and supported diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, per a 2023 nomination letter from the Washington Council of Lawyers.
