On Sunday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a memorandum in support of the pretrial detention of accused pipebomber Brian Cole Jr., and it's liable to raise some eyebrows (and possibly some folks' blood pressure).
You'll note that the headline references "J5," not "J6" — there's a reason for that. A rather important reason. We'll get to that.
But first, to refresh: On December 4, 2025, nearly five years after the infamous incident in which pipe bombs were found near both the DNC and RNC headquarters, just as all hell was breaking loose at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, authorities arrested the man they allege planted those bombs: 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr. of Woodbridge, Virginia.
Cole was charged with two felonies:
- Explosive Device — transportation in interstate commerce with intent to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property (in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(d))
- Explosive Device — malicious destruction or attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials (in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i))
Cole made his initial appearance in court the following day but did not enter a plea. His detention hearing was initially set for December 15, 2025, then continued to December 30, 2025.
Ahead of that detention hearing, the DOJ filed its memorandum in support of Cole's pre-trial detention. The memorandum is only 23 pages long and worth the read for those with a keen interest in the case, but I'm going to highlight the key assertions in the document, which, bear in mind, was submitted on behalf of the Trump Justice Department by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. After walking through, in great detail, Cole's alleged acquisition of the materials used in constructing the bombs and his actions in and around the evening of January 5, we get into the heart of his motivation:
- During the interview, which was video-recorded, the defendant initially denied manufacturing, transporting, and planting the pipe bombs. When asked about his whereabouts on January 5, 2021, the defendant stated that he drove his Nissan Sentra to Washington, D.C. by himself that evening to attend a protest concerning the outcome of the 2020 election.
- The defendant explained: “I didn’t agree with what people were doing, like just telling half the country that they – that their – that they just need to ignore it. I didn’t think that was a good idea, so I went to the protest.”
- The defendant “has never really been an openly political person” and does not discuss politics often with his family to avoid conflict. According to the defendant, “no one knows” his political views, including his family.
- Later in the interview, the defendant explained that after the 2020 election, “when it first seemed like something was wrong” and “stuff started happening,” he began following the issue closely on YouTube and Reddit and felt “bewildered.” In the defendant’s view, if people “feel that, you know, something as important as voting in the federal election is being tampered with, is being, you know, being – you know, relegated null and void, then, like, someone needs to speak up, right? Someone up top. You know, just to, just to at the very least calm things down.”
- The defendant felt that “the people up top,” including “people on both sides, public figures,” should not “ignore[e] people’s grievances” or call them “conspiracy theorists,” “bad people,” “Nazis,” or “fascists.” Instead, “if people feel that their votes are like just being thrown away, then . . . at the very least someone should address it.”
Up until that point, Cole maintained he had not planted the pipe bombs, but later, after being confronted with the surveillance video and/or a still image from it, Cole eventually admitted that he was the individual shown on the video. He then walked the investigators through his process of constructing, transporting, and planting the bombs.
- The defendant stated that he assembled the devices in the hours before he drove to Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2021, and that he cleaned the devices with disinfectant wipes. Eventually, the defendant admitted that he did not go to Washington, D.C. to attend a protest but in fact traveled there to plant the devices.
- The defendant placed one of the devices in his backpack, exited his car, and walked toward the DNC. He set the timer on the first device to the maximum duration (60 minutes) and planted the device near the DNC. The defendant then returned to his car, retrieved the second device and placed it in his backpack, and walked to the RNC, where he set the timer for 60 minutes and planted the device.
- According to the defendant, he was not really thinking about how people would react when the bombs detonated, although he hoped there would be news about it.
- The defendant stated that he had not tested the devices before planting them. He claimed that when he learned that the devices did not detonate, he was “pretty relieved,” and asserted that he placed the devices at night because he did not want to kill people.
- The defendant stated that he did not tell anyone about the pipe bombs before planting them or in the years since.
- When the interviewing agents returned to the defendant’s motive, he explained that “something just snapped” after “watching everything, just everything getting worse.” The defendant wanted to do something “to the parties” because “they were in charge.” When asked why he placed the devices at the RNC and DNC, the defendant responded, “I really don’t like either party at this point.”
- The defendant also explained that the idea to use pipe bombs came from his interest in history, specifically the Troubles in Ireland. The defendant denied that his actions were directed toward Congress or related to the proceedings scheduled to take place on January 6.
Politico, of course, ran an article following the DOJ's filing of the memorandum headlined:
Justice Department says Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect believed election conspiracy theories
Well, no, it doesn't. Look for yourself in the excerpts above — or in the linked memorandum if you're concerned that anything critical in that regard was omitted. Yes, Cole expressed concern about the election and frustration that people's concerns about the election weren't being addressed. But...I suppose to Politico, any questions raised about the election are simply "conspiracy theories" — and must be dismissed. Either way, the DOJ memo doesn't say what Politico says it says. Maybe I'm picking nits, but that headline is misleading at best.
That said, no doubt there are many who remain unconvinced that Cole is the culprit, and that's certainly understandable. This investigation was left to moulder, and the lack of information surrounding the incident for years allowed all manner of speculation to build. That, combined with the Biden DOJ's fervor directed at anyone in the vicinity of the Capitol on January 6th, has probably ensured that, for many, the questions will never be resolved.
But...for those willing to accept what the current DOJ has to say about it at face value:
- Cole acted alone
- Cole was upset about the 2020 election
- Cole blamed both of the parties
- Cole planted the bombs, intending for them to go off on the night of January 5
Of course, that is taking Cole's account at face value, as well. But if one does, it's no longer accurate to refer to him as the (alleged) J6 pipebomber.
