DC pipe bomb suspect not covered by Trump Jan. 6 pardon: DOJ |
DC pipe bomb suspect not covered by Trump Jan. 6 pardon: DOJ
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking a judge to deny a motion of dismissal made by the man suspected of planting two pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021, after the defendant argued he should be exempt from his charges under President Trump’s related pardons.
Brian Cole Jr. faces formal charges for planting two pipe bombs outside of the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters the day before election deniers stormed the Capitol.
In a court document filed with the D.C. District Court on Friday, the DOJ argued that Cole is “categorically excluded” from Trump’s “clear and unambiguous terms” of his proclamation, which has since pardoned up to 1,500 people involved in the attacks.
“The defendant ignores that the proclamation expressly limited relief to individuals who had been ‘convicted of,’ or had a ‘pending indictment’ for, offenses related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro wrote in the court filing.
Pirro wrote that on Jan. 20, 2025, when Trump’s pardon went into effect, “the defendant belonged to neither category, and so the proclamation has no bearing on this case.”
Cole was arrested in December 2025 and indicted in January on two counts of possessing an explosive device, including interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use them. The bombs did not go off, but the FBI said they were functional and viable.
Cole filed a motion to dismiss his charges in March by insisting his actions were “inextricably and demonstrably tethered” to the Jan. 6 events.
On his first day in office, Trump pardoned more than 600 people facing charges for assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement, some with a dangerous weapon, during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Pirro asked the court to consider that “even if the Court somehow found, notwithstanding its text, that the proclamation could apply to this case, the Department of Justice’s contrary position is supported by a consistent, reasonable interpretation taken by the Executive Branch agency expressly charged with administering the proclamation.”
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