DOJ argues D.C. pipe bomb defendant not covered by Trump's Jan. 6 pardons

Politics Justice Dept. argues D.C. pipe bomb defendant not covered by Trump's Jan. 6 pardons By Jacob Rosen Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio Jacob Rosen Updated on: April 10, 2026 / 12:01 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Justice Department pushed back on claims by the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside of the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the eve of the 2021 Jan. 6 Capitol riot, arguing that the charges against Brian Cole Jr. should not be dismissed and that his actions were not covered by President Trump's sweeping pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters. In court filings Friday, the Justice Department opposed a motion by Cole, whose legal team argued that the charges against Cole are "inextricably and demonstrably tethered" to the events of Jan. 6, 2021 and should be dismissed. In March, Cole's lawyers pointed to filings by federal prosecutors in the case that said Cole had told the FBI in an interview after his arrest that he had traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend a 2020 election-related protest connected to "the same political controversy" that animated the Jan. 6 crowd.Cole's attorneys argued that even though the pipe bombs had been planted the night before the riot, Mr. Trump's pardon of about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants applies to him, too. The Justice Department says the pardon explicitly does not cover Cole's alleged conduct.Prosecutors wrote that the president's proclamation expressly limited relief to individuals who had been "convicted of" or had a "pending indictment" for offenses related to the events at or near the Capitol on Jan. 6."On January 20, 2025, the defendant belonged to neither category, and so the proclamation has no bearing...