Federal judge says Trump’s broad Jan. 6 pardon doesn’t apply to DC pipe bomb suspect
A federal judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s blanket pardon for Jan. 6 rioters does not apply to a Virginia man accused of planting two pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., the night before the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
Prosecutors say Brian Cole Jr. planted a bomb near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees on the night of Jan. 5, 2021. discussed in March He said Cole should be included in Trump’s pardon because the alleged conduct was “integral and clearly tied” to the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
On his first day back in office last year, Trump issued a pardon. almost every person The man found guilty of storming the U.S. Capitol marks the end of an extensive four-year investigation by the Justice Department.
In a three-page order, U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali, an appointee of President Joe Biden, rejected Cole’s argument that he should be included in the pardon.
“Even if we assume that the conduct of which Cole is accused is ‘related to the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,’ the pardon is expressly limited to individuals ‘convicted of crimes’ related to those events,” Ali wrote. “Cole was not convicted of the conduct at issue when the President issued the pardon; in fact, he was not charged until months after the President’s announcement.”
Cole is expected back in court Wednesday for a status hearing.
When Cole’s lawyers asked the court in March to dismiss the case against him, a White House official disputed the defense team’s claim.
“The pipe bombs were planted on January 5. The amnesty was related to events that occurred in or near the capital on January 6 and clearly does not cover that scenario,” the official told CNN at the time.
The FBI arrested Cole in December at his home where he lived with his family. He pleaded not guilty in January to federal charges of possessing and attempting to use explosives.
The FBI alleges Cole spent months collecting bomb-making materials before leaving explosive devices outside political offices.
Cole told investigators during interviews with the FBI that he believed the 2020 election was stolen, CNN previously reported. Investigators also said they connected Cole’s phone data to cell towers in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. His calls and messages matched security footage timestamps showing how the bomber moved the evening he planted the devices.
CNN’s Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand and Dugald McConnell contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at: CNN.com
