Washington DC - The judge overseeing the trial of Cole Allen, the man facing charges for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, recently apologized for Allen's poor treatment while in prison.
According to The Guardian, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui lamented during a court hearing on Monday that Allen's treatment has been "legally deficient," adding that he had an obligation to make sure the 31-year-old is "treated with the basic decency of a human being."
"Whatever you've been through, I apologize," the judge told Allen directly.
Faruqui's remarks come after Allen's attorneys filed a motion over the weekend requesting he be removed from suicide watch, which he was placed on despite having no earlier criminal history and no suicidal tendencies shown during a health evaluation.
The motion claimed Allen had been placed in a padded cell for 23 hours a day while fitted in a vest they compared to a "strait jacket," and was denied access to a Bible.
Allen is facing charges for storming the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25 with several weapons, allegedly with the intention of killing Trump and other members of his administration. He has not yet entered a plea.
During the hearing, the judge also pointed out that convicted January 6 Capitol rioters who stayed in the same prison were treated more favorably, which left him both "fascinated and disturbed."