Top Democrat Accuses DOJ of ‘Picking and Choosing Facts’ After Pipe Bomber Presser
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) expressed his dismay that the Justice Department took a “victory lap” over making the country “safer” by arresting the alleged would-be pipe bomber months after President Donald Trump pardoned the J6 rioters.
The DOJ announced Thursday that it arrested 30-year-old Virginia man Brian Cole Jr. for allegedly placing the homemade bombs at the offices of the Republican and Democratic National Committees the night before the 2021 Capitol riots.
“You know, I think it is good news if this perpetrator got arrested,” Warner began. He added:
But I got to tell you, it kind of makes me — looking at this crowd, doing a victory lap, when all the senior FBI officials across all key divisions have been fired for political purposes, when in some field offices, up to 45% of the FBI officers who were doing things like counter espionage and cyber have been assigned to do immigration cases.
It’s a little rich that they’re saying they [make] America safer. How much earlier could we have caught this guy if resources hadn’t been diverted? And I hope it would also remind folks that on January 6th — I was here at the Capitol on January 6th. It was an ugly, awful day. And this administration and this president basically pardoned all the perpetrators. You know, it’s that kind of picking and choosing of facts from this crowd that makes me a little bit crazy.
Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump pardoned some 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the riots, including those who violently attacked police officers.
At Thursday’s press conference, Attorney General Pam Bondi blamed the Biden administration for allowing the “cold case” to languish “for four years.”
“Let me be clear, there was no new tip, there was no new witness, just good, diligent police work and prosecutorial work,” Bondi said.
Assistant FBI Director Dan Bongino said that a breakthrough in “forensic evidence” helped lead to the arrest.
Bongino was a podcaster in 2021 who helped perpetuate conspiracy theories about the pipe bombs and riots.
“I believe the FBI knows the identity of this pipe bomber on January 6, four years ago, and just doesn’t wanna tell us ‘cause it was an inside job,” he said on his show.
Watch the clip above via MS NOW.
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