By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
A Virginia man charged with planting two pipe bombs outside of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in D.C. on Jan. 5, 2021 believes the 47th president’s mass pardon of Jan. 6 insurrectionists should apply to his case.
Attorneys for 30-year-old Brian J. Cole Jr. filed a motion to dismiss the case on March 16, arguing that Cole is covered under the sweeping clemency issued by the president last year. The federal case is being tried in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“The Pardon—like it or not—applies to Mr. Cole, based on the ordinary and plain meaning of the Pardon’s language as applied to the relevant facts in this case,” wrote Cole’s lawyers, Mario B. Williams and John M. Shoreman, in court documents.
On Jan. 20, 2025, the 47th president granted full, unconditional clemency to all individuals convicted of offenses related to events “at or near” the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He also commuted the sentences of 14 convicted individuals.
Though Cole positioned the explosives on the evening of Jan. 5, his attorneys assert that his alleged conduct is still directly tied to the events of Jan. 6. They argue that the pardon’s language— covering offenses committed “at or near” the Capitol— should be interpreted broadly to include preparatory acts that were intended to affect or disrupt the following day’s proceedings.
In court documents, the attorneys claimed the commuted sentence of Kenneth Harrelson, an Oath Keepers member, demonstrates “that government is wasting time trying to convict Mr. Cole.” They noted that Harrelson received clemency despite his role in transporting and staging firearms in the D.C. area between Jan. 1 and Jan. 5.
A White House official told the AFRO, that the president’s pardons “clearly” do not extend to Cole’s case given the explosives were placed on Jan. 5. The official clarified that clemency was only granted to events at or near the Capitol on Jan. 6.
According to the Justice Department, the explosives were discovered by law enforcement near the RNC and DNC headquarters on Jan. 6, 2021—just a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol where the 2020 presidential election results were being certified that day. Neither device detonated, and U.S. Capitol Police were able to safely disarm them.
Cole was arrested on Dec. 4, 2025 and charged with transporting the explosive devices and attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials.
In their motion to dismiss, Cole’s attorneys also point to prosecutors’ description of his alleged motive, arguing it reflects the political grievances that spurred the Jan. 6 crowd. They said Cole told investigators he traveled to D.C. to protest the 2020 election results and expressed frustration with leaders in both parties.
They further argued that Cole— often referred to as the “Jan. 6 pipe bomber”—has been publicly linked to the events of that day, bolstering their claim that his case is covered by the president’s clemency.
The 47th president’s blanket pardon eliminated legal consequences for more than 1,000 individuals whose offenses ranged from assaulting Capitol police officers, to destroying government property, to seditious conspiracy.
A judge has not yet ruled on Cole’s motion, but the decision could determine how far the president’s clemency extends.
