HAPPENING NOW: Magistrate Judge Faruqui says he's concerned about...
Kyle Cheney@kyledcheney
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May 05, 2026
~2 min read
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HAPPENING NOW: Magistrate Judge Faruqui says he's concerned about the way the DC jail has treated Cole Allen so far, putting him inextremely restrictive suicide-watch protocol despite medical assessment saying it was not necessary.
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Tony Towns, the general counsel for the DC jail, says Allen's placement has been based on an "ongoing" psychiatric evaluation.
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FARUQUI now comparing Allen to Jan. 6 defendants, saying they were treated better than Allen was.
"Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history," the magistrate judge says. "I never had a Jan. 6 defendant ... put in 5-point restraints or in a 'safe cell.'"
"Pardons may erase convictions but they do not erase history," the magistrate judge says. "I never had a Jan. 6 defendant ... put in 5-point restraints or in a 'safe cell.'"
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FARUQUI says Allen is "being treated differently than anyone I’ve ever observed." He says terrorists, gang members and others charged with political violence haven't been treated as restrictively as Allen.
Towns says limits are all being decided by medical staff.
Towns says limits are all being decided by medical staff.
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Faruqui hammering on the J6 comparison. Says he spent 4 years "Watching what I would say seems to be … analogous conduct. People allegedly trying to harm elected officials based on their political beliefs. The way that things are playing out [for Allen] is vastly different."
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Prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine says FBI had concerns about suicide at outset in part bc he initially told agents "he did not expect to survive the attempted assassination of the president." Faruqui says his interpretation is that Allen expected to be shot, not take his own life.
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Faruqui apologizes to Allen. He says it's the court's job when recommending detention to ensure it's done in a responsible and safe way and that he doesn't thinks this is what happened here.
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NEW: A magistrate judge said today that he was alarmed by Cole Allen's harsh treatment by the DC jail and said it appeared far harsher than what Jan. 6 defendants — also accused of politically motivated violence that threatened officials — once faced. politico.com/news/2026/05/0…