Lawyers for Brian Cole Jr., accused of planting pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC the night before Jan. 6, 2021, moved to block use of his purported confession—arguing the FBI illegally coerced it, according to Ken Silva of Headline USA.
Defense says tactics crossed the line
In a motion filed Tuesday, Cole’s attorneys cited interview video that they described as the “methodical dismantling of a man whose autism spectrum disorder.” They attached an opinion from psychologist Dr. Richard A. Leo—described in the filing as a consultant on 2,500 disputed‑confession cases—who concluded “the interrogation was psychologically coercive,” per Headline USA.
Inside the interview: ‘This individual is you?’ ‘Yes.’
The defense attached a transcript of Cole’s Dec. 4 interview. Silva reported that the transcript shows Cole confessed about three hours in, after agents told him his earlier denials were illegal and threatened to “drag” his family into similar interviews. When an interrogator asked, “So, this individual is you?” Cole replied, “Yes.” Agents then left the room, later returned, and Cole said he wanted to keep talking, providing more details, according to the transcript.
Toward the end, Cole said, “I don’t know how many times I wanted to turn myself in … So, so many times … I’d just be scared,” the transcript reflects.
What’s next
The Justice Department had not responded to the motion at the time of publication. Cole’s lawyers requested a hearing before any ruling, per Headline USA.
Rival‑suspect push and DOJ’s rebuttal
Silva reported that Cole’s team is also seeking FBI evidence tied to former Capitol Police officer and current CIA security guard Shauni Kerkhoff, arguing she might be the real culprit. The defense seeks subpoenas for: the original video of Kerkhoff’s dog on the night of Jan. 5, 2021 (reportedly recorded while the pipe bomber was in Washington, which would give her an alibi); communications between Kerkhoff and her boyfriend, Capitol Police officer Daniel Dickert; and records of the FBI’s gait analysis.
The DOJ counters that the defense should not receive those subpoenas because they have not produced evidence that Kerkhoff planted the devices. “The FBI investigated this claim, as it did many others, and found it to be baseless,” the DOJ said, calling the effort a “fishing expedition,” according to Headline USA. It is unclear when a judge will decide.
Background questions flagged by Headline USA
Silva noted that Headline USA reported in March 2024 that the FBI had a suspect identified by Jan. 10, 2021, but made no arrests. FBI records released in September showed agents did not interview the woman who said she discovered a device near the RNC around 12:40 p.m. on Jan. 6—former counterterrorism analyst and then‑Commerce Department worker Karlin Younger—until days later.
The article also points out that then–Vice President Kamala Harris’s motorcade left the Capitol at 11:21 a.m. and arrived at the DNC at 11:25 a.m., while the nearby device was not found until 1:07 p.m. by a plainclothes Capitol Police officer. Headline USA wrote that the lack of answers has driven many to suspect the episode could have been a false‑flag operation overseen by federal authorities; that is an allegation, not an established fact.
