Alleged Jan. 5 DNC–RNC Pipe Bomber Seeks Dismissal Under Trump Jan. 6 Pardons

Defense lawyers for Brian Cole Jr., the man federally charged with planting viable but undetonated pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, have filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss his case on the grounds that he is covered by former President Donald Trump’s sweeping Jan. 6 pardons. In a Monday filing, they argue Cole’s charges for interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use explosives are 'inextricably and demonstrably tethered' to the Jan. 6 attack because he allegedly traveled to D.C. for a 2020 election‑related protest and the devices were discovered during the riot, falling within Trump’s language pardoning 'offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.' Cole, who has pleaded not guilty and was only charged late last year after nearly five years without an identified suspect, is the latest test case in how broadly courts will interpret those pardons, which applied to about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants and directed DOJ to drop many pending charges. Prosecutors have previously taken varying positions in other cases about whether the pardons extend beyond core riot charges to separate firearms offenses or post‑riot threats, and one defendant even received a second pardon to cover gun charges, underscoring how unsettled the legal boundaries are. The Justice Department has not yet responded publicly to Cole’s motion, and legal commentators online are already split over whether trying to shoehorn a Jan. 5 bombing plot into a Jan. 6 pardon is an overreach or a predictable consequence of drafting such a broad, politically charged clemency order.