Overview
- U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali denied Brian Cole Jr.’s motion to dismiss on pardon grounds in a three‑page order issued Monday, saying President Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025 proclamation was expressly limited to individuals convicted at the time.
- Cole is accused of placing two viable pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters on the night of Jan. 5, 2021, devices that were found the next day and did not detonate.
- Federal prosecutors say investigators linked Cole to the scene using cellphone location data, surveillance footage, purchase records and an alleged post‑arrest confession.
- Cole was arrested in December 2025 and has pleaded not guilty to counts including interstate transportation of explosives, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, and an act of terrorism while armed; he remains in custody and faces potentially lengthy prison terms if convicted.
- The decision preserves the government’s case and establishes a judicial check on the scope of the president’s Jan. 6 clemency, a legal question that could shape how similar pardon claims are handled going forward.