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Department of Justice leaders criticized the Biden administration for failing to achieve what they accomplished on Thursday — arresting a suspect in connection with the pipe bombs found near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press conference announcing the arrest of Brian Cole Jr. that existing evidence led to the FBI’s breakthrough in a cold case that had “languished” for nearly five years.
“What I will tell you is that evidence has been sitting there collecting dust,” Bondi said. “This wasn’t a new tip. It wasn’t some new evidence. It was the hard work of President Trump’s administration.”
Bondi said federal investigators were able to identify Cole after spending months “sifting through evidence that had been sitting at the FBI with the Biden administration.” She said that bringing charges against Cole was not a result of any new witnesses or leads but rather “good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work.”
FBI ARRESTS SUSPECT IN DC PIPE BOMB CASE AFTER 5-YEAR INVESTIGATION
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel arrive for a news conference on an arrest of a suspect in the Jan. 6 pipe bombing case at the Department of Justice on Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington, D,C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Court papers unsealed Thursday revealed that bank records showing purchases of the pipe bomb material and cell phone tower data were used to identify Cole. The suspect is now in custody facing charges of using explosives, with more charges possible, and he is expected to make his first court appearance Friday.
Surveillance footage released by the FBI showed an unidentified suspect in a hoodie planting two explosive devices near the Republican and Democratic National Committees’ headquarters on the night of Jan. 5, 2021. Authorities said the devices were “viable” and could have detonated. The first one was discovered by a woman out in an alleyway doing her laundry,…
