US Capitol bomber Brian Cole not eligible for Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon, judge says | Today’s news
A US federal judge has denied a request to dismiss criminal charges against Brian Cole Jr., the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee on the eve of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
District Judge Amir Ali said US President Donald Trump’s pardon for the Capitol rioters was “expressly limited” to individuals convicted of crimes committed during that day’s attack, CBS News reported Monday (local time).
What did Brian Cole’s lawyers say?
His lawyers cited prosecutors’ files that said he told the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he had traveled to Washington, DC to participate in a protest related to the 2020 election. They argued that this showed he was part of “the same political controversy that animated the January 6 crowd.” The defense also said that although the pipe bombs were allegedly planted on January 5, they were not discovered until the following afternoon.
His lawyers wrote: “The Pardon — like it or not — applies to Mr. Cole based on the plain and plain meaning of the language of the Pardon as applied to the relevant facts in this case.”
What did the federal judge say?
Judge Amir Ali rejected a motion brought by Cole’s lawyers, who argued that his actions were “inextricably and demonstrably connected” to the events of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and that the charges should be dismissed.
In a three-page opinion, Ali wrote: “Even assuming that the conduct with which Cole is accused ‘relates to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,’ the pardon is expressly limited to people who have been ‘convicted of crimes’ related to those events.” He added, “Cole was not convicted of the conduct in question when the president granted the pardon; indeed, he was not charged until many months after the president’s announcement.”
What is the case against Brian Cole?
In 2025, Cole was charged with interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use explosives, nearly five years after the pipe bombs were allegedly planted. Although the devices did not explode, the FBI said they were capable of detonation. Earlier this April, federal prosecutors filed additional charges against him, including terrorism and the use of a weapon of mass destruction.
Cole was arrested in Virginia in December 2025, a day before his first hearing in the District of Columbia District Court, and faces two charges in connection with a pair of explosive devices that were left outside the parties’ headquarters on the eve of the attack on the US Capitol on June 6.
Citing an affidavit, CBS News reported in December that cell phone records placed Cole’s phone near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) on January 5, when security cameras captured a person allegedly planting pipe bombs. The document also states that Cole’s car was detected by a license plate reader less than half a mile from where the individual was seen. Investigators said they have records of Cole purchasing parts allegedly used to assemble explosive devices.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
