Alleged Jan 6 Pipe Bomber Tries to Use Trump’s Blanket Pardon to Dodge Charges — Prosecutors Shut It Down

Brian Cole Jr., charged with planting pipe bombs outside the GOP and DNC headquarters on January 5, 2021, is attempting a bold legal maneuver: he argues that former President Donald Trump’s sweeping January 6 blanket pardon protects him from prosecution. But federal prosecutors have swiftly moved to reject his claim, filing a motion to dismiss Cole’s attempt to escape charges.

According to court documents cited by Meidas Touch reporter Scott MacFarlane, Cole asserts that Trump’s January 20, 2025, presidential proclamation pardoning those involved in January 6-related offenses should shield him. The problem? The pardon explicitly applies only to individuals who were either convicted or had pending indictments for offenses tied directly to events at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Cole was neither convicted nor indicted at that time, putting him outside the pardon’s narrow scope.

More critically, prosecutors point out that Cole’s alleged crimes occurred on January 5 — the day before the Capitol riot — and involved planting pipe bombs at party headquarters not at the Capitol itself. This timing and location mean his actions are not “related to” the January 6 events as required by the pardon’s terms.

The Department of Justice, which enforces the pardon, also argues that its interpretation of the proclamation deserves deference as the agency charged with administering it. They emphasize that any one of these reasons—lack of conviction or indictment, timing of the offense, or location—alone justifies rejecting Cole’s claim.

This case highlights the limits of Trump’s controversial blanket pardon for January 6 participants. While Trump sought to shield rioters and their allies from legal consequences, federal prosecutors continue to push back against attempts to exploit the pardon beyond its strict language.

Adding to the drama, prosecutors recently sought a contempt of court ruling against Cole’s attorney for doxing a Capitol Police officer, a move that exposed the toxic right-wing online environment swirling around these cases.

This fight over the pardon’s reach underscores the ongoing struggle to hold accountable those who threatened democracy on January 6 — and the Trump administration’s relentless efforts to protect its loyalists, even those accused of planting bombs. We’ll be watching closely as this case unfolds.