The alleged would-be presidential assassin, Cole Allen, is now making his way through the American system of crime and punishment, which sometimes seems to take as long as the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel of the same name. He is appearing in a courtroom presided over by Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui, who, on Monday, apologized to the alleged gunman for the unpleasant conditions of being, you know, in jail.
Yes, really. On a Fox News report on Monday, Chief White House Correspondent Mike Emanuel had that news.
🚨 JUST IN: Judge Zia Faruqui has just APOLOGIZED to the man who tried killing President Trump in court, Cole Allen
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 4, 2026
Remove this judge NOW!
"The judge is concerned about the treatment he's gotten."
KUDLOW: "The judge APOLOGIZED to this guy, who would've SPRAYED the whole… pic.twitter.com/jET1zJFxQZ
Here's what Mr. Emanuel said to Fox hosts Sandra Smith and Larry Kudlow:
"Sandra, good afternoon to you. Judge Zia Faruqui apologized to suspect Cole Allen for the treatment he’s received so far while he has been behind bars. He's been put on suicide watch by the Department of Corrections, and the judge was asking why. An attorney from the government said that he was put on suicide watch because he told FBI agents that night of the White House Correspondents’ dinner attack that he didn’t expect to survive, and his language suggested that he really was not expecting to survive his trip to Washington, D.C., and the ultimate incident where he allegedly showed up with a weapon to try and assassinate President Trump. He’s been charged with that crime.
"But the judge, very concerned about his constitutional rights, saying the defendant has requested a Bible, has requested meetings with his legal team, and that has not been allowed, he's been put in restrictive, 24 hour lockup, with no windows and a padded room without an opportunity to get out for recreation. So the judge making it clear that he wants answers by tomorrow morning about exactly what the housing determination will be made for the suspect in this case, out of grave concern about his constitutional rights. And that apology issued near the end of the hearing. And so, quite a moment just moments ago in federal court.
"Bottom line: Department of Correction said they wanted to make sure that he survived, that this is a high-profile case. All involved acknowledged it was a high-profile case. Again, the judge concerned about the treatment he's gotten since he was arrested after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting incident. Sandra, back to you."
Larry Kudlow's response was, shall we say, spirited.
"The judge apologized to this guy, who's a killer? Who if he had gotten another couple of yards, would’ve sprayed the whole audience, in the correspondent's dinner? Just sprayed them, and killed God knows how many people? Then would’ve taken a shot over the whole audience at the president? We’re apologizing to this guy?! I don’t get that!"
Newsweek and Politico have also reported on the apology from Judge Faruqui.
Read More: What We Know Now: Suspect Mailed Manifesto to Family Just Before WHCD Attack
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Granted, even an alleged attempted presidential assassin has constitutional rights, including the right to confront his accusers, to a speedy trial by a jury of his peers, and to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment. But this apology is beyond the pale; this just plain reeks of excessive sympathy for the accused. These complaints by the defense team, which involve what we might presume were normal practices for an inmate on suicide watch, should have been addressed by a curt, non-apologetic order from the judge for the Department of Corrections to look into it.
We can very probably expect some calls for impeachment of Judge Faruqui, though it's not likely that will come to fruition. But this should serve to focus attention on how the judge handles this case moving forward.
We should note that Judge Faruqui, being a magistrate, was not appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but instead was appointed by the judges of the United States District Court for the district in which he is seated. You can view Judge Faruqui's professional profile here.
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