Brian Cole, Jr., the man accused of planting two pipe bombs on the eve of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol admitted that he felt somebody needed to “speak up” for 2020 election conspiracy theorists.
In a Justice Department memo that argued that Cole should remain in custody while the case moves forward, the suspect allegedly made statements to investigators that led them to key evidence, such as the components used to make the bombs found at his home. The bombs never detonated and were found on Jan.6 the day that rioters stormed the Capitol claiming that Trump did not lose the election to former President Biden.
After initial denials, Cole said that he felt disenchanted by the 2020 election, was dissatisfied with both political parties, and was sympathetic to Trump’s claims that the election had been stolen.
Cole said that 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.”
When investigators asked the suspect why he placed the bombs at both the RNC and DNC, he said that he really didn’t “like either party at this point.”
Neither of bombs exploded, which the suspect said he was relieved about because he did not want to kill anyone. Yet, prosecutors say that the failure of the bombs was luck and not due to lack of effort, maintaining that Cole is a danger to the community and should remain in custody until his trial.
“The defendant’s choice of targets risked the lives not only of innocent pedestrians and office workers but also of law enforcement, first responders, and national political leaders who were inside of the respective party headquarters or drove by them on January 6, 2021, including the Vice President-elect and Speaker of the House,” prosecutors wrote.
Cole was taken into custody on Dec. 4 at his home in Virginia. His lawyers will present their position on his detention before his hearing in Washington’s federal court.
