WASHINGTON – House Republicans and Democrats clashed Wednesday on who to blame for the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection during a hearing on the effectiveness of the FBI’s investigation into the pipe bombs planted outside of the Democratic and Republican National Committees.
The hearing comes as the alleged pipe bomber, Brian Cole Jr., was indicted last Wednesday on federal charges of interstate transportation of explosives and malicious attempt to use explosives following a nearly five-year-long FBI investigation.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga, the chairman of the subcommittee, set the stage with opening remarks that focused on scrutinizing the lack of progress on finding the suspected pipe bomber by former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, despite apprehending hundreds of rioters who assaulted Capitol police and trespassed on the Capitol that day.
Loudermilk cited FBI director Kash Patel’s designated Red Team, a group of cybersecurity experts, which he said “within six weeks of its creation” identified Brian Cole Jr. as a suspect in the pipe bomber case.
“Why did it take a team of non-FBI personnel who re-examined the evidence to develop Cole as a suspect?” asked Loudermilk.
Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., followed Loudermilk’s remarks by noting the prosecution of Cole is ongoing and advised that this hearing “does nothing to recklessly endanger” that investigation.
However, he emphasized that “the pipe bomber was motivated by the same lies,” as the other rioters “who followed Donald Trump’s order on that day.”
“Nothing will ever whitewash the indelible facts of that day,” said Raskin.
The hearing included testimony from former FBI special agents Chris Piehota and John Nantz as well as Thomas Speciale, a former senior adviser for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Speciale, who participated in the Jan. 6th riots, said that during his time at the FBI, he was “labeled as a domestic extremist” and was fired because of his open support for the Trump administration. He then denounced the FBI for focusing on impeaching President Trump and silencing his supporters, instead of pursuing the pipe bomber.
After the announcement of the new formal inquiry, Democrats have expressed concerns over Republican lawmakers’ efforts to change the narrative surrounding Jan. 6th.
In a press release responding to the panel, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., a member of the subcommittee, stated that his Republican counterparts have “found a new target: the events of January 6” in their “campaign of distraction.”
Echoing those concerns are extremism experts, worried about the possible divisive implications of driving new inquiries into the Capitol attack.
In an interview with the Medill News Service, Jonathon Lewis, a research fellow with a specialty in domestic terrorism at George Washington University, questioned the intent behind the subcommittee’s creation. “It’s certainly an open question of: is this designed to find some truth or is it designed to find a target for the next sort of online rage machine?” Lewis asked.