The video shows a dark SUV entering the parking garage of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, before a bomb-sniffing dog and its handler approach the vehicle. This is notable because a pipe bomb was found near the DNC headquarters that day, and the failure of the Secret Service to find it before Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris arrived at the building is one of several anomalies in the case. Other questions include the discovery of the bomb at the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters by a government contractor with ties to the FBI, the use of cheap kitchen timers that couldn't have caused the bombs to detonate on their own, corrupted cell phone data, and the FBI's geofence warrant not including the Capitol Hill neighborhood where the bombs were planted.
The FBI assistant director leading the investigation had previously been in charge of the investigation into a kidnap plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in which the bureau tried to get alleged conspirators to build bombs. An FBI whistleblower has also claimed that the bombs were inoperable, supported by video showing authorities allowing children to cross the street toward the DNC bomb after it was discovered. The timing of the day's events has also been questioned, as the RNC pipe bomb was discovered just thirteen minutes before the first breach of police lines on the west side of the Capitol and 20 minutes before House and Senate members convened to consider the electoral college results of the 2020 election.
The investigation into the pipe bombs has been ongoing for three years, but the perpetrator remains at large. The Department of Justice has conducted a criminal investigation into the protests on Jan. 6 at an "unprecedented speed and scale," resulting in the prosecution of over 1,300 defendants, but the person responsible for the pipe bombs has vanished without a trace. The Washington FBI field office recently issued a statement offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator, but there has been little interest in the case from official Washington.
The Jan. 6 committee barely mentioned the pipe bomb threat in its final report and did not include video of the incident or the suspect during any televised hearings. The media's interest in the case has also waned, with major news organizations no longer promoting the idea that a supporter of Donald Trump tried to blow up buildings near the Capitol on Jan. 6. However, a handful of outlets have stayed on the story, and the government's lack of forthrightness regarding the allegedly deadly plot has created a wellspring of distrust.
The presence of bombs in the nation's capital as the joint session of Congress convened to debate the outcome of the Electoral College vote animated the notion that Jan. 6 represented an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by Trump supporters. Reports that two explosives were found just blocks from the U.S. Capitol initiated the first wave of panic that accelerated throughout the afternoon. The FBI has not provided a report on the devices, but authorities have stated that both devices were "hazardous and could cause great harm to public safety."
The investigation into the pipe bombs has been ongoing for three years, but the perpetrator remains at large. The Department of Justice has conducted a criminal investigation into the protests on Jan. 6 at an "unprecedented speed and scale," resulting in the prosecution of over 1,300 defendants, but the person responsible for the pipe bombs has vanished without a trace. The Washington FBI field office recently issued a statement offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator, but there has been little interest in the case from official Washington.
The Jan. 6 committee barely mentioned the pipe bomb threat in its final report and did not include video of the incident or the suspect during any televised hearings. The media's interest in the case has also waned, with major news organizations no longer promoting the idea that a supporter of Donald Trump tried to blow up buildings near the Capitol on Jan. 6. However, a handful of outlets have stayed on the story, and the government's lack of forthrightness regarding the allegedly deadly plot has created a wellspring of distrust.
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