No, Gun Control Wouldn’t Have Prevented The Latest Trump Assassination Attempt
If policymakers and advocates are serious about reducing such incidents, the focus needs to shift toward measures that directly address the factors involved.If policymakers and advocates are serious about reducing such incidents, the focus needs to shift toward measures that directly address the factors involved.Pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole's defense hits prosecutors with unexpected demands after feds pile on more charges
Brian Cole Jr., the FBI's suspect in the Jan. 5 to 6, 2021, pipe-bomb case, appeared before a federal judge on April 22 and pleaded not guilty to the two additional felony charges filed against him in a second superseding indictment.
Federal authorities arrested Cole in December, accusing him of planting two pipe bombs, one outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters and one outside the Republican National Committee headquarters, in the hours leading up to the Jan 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol. The bombs did not detonate.
A 'real mic-drop' moment.
A second superseding indictment, filed Apr. 14, included the original charges of interstate transportation of explosives and a malicious attempt to use explosives. It also added two additional charges: an attempt to use weapons of mass destruction and an act of terrorism while armed. If found guilty of these new charges, Cole could face a sentence of life in prison.
The status hearing last week included an arraignment for the additional charges, to which Cole pleaded not guilty.
Cole's defense team requested early in the hearing to discuss setting a trial date, suggesting early December, according to the hearing's transcript obtained by Blaze News.
Prosecutors proposed holding another status hearing before setting a trial date, explaining that they were not yet prepared to estimate how long the trial would take, particularly with the additional charges.
Cara Castronuova, a reporter with LindellTV, called the defense's request a "real mic-drop" moment.
"I think that really surprised the prosecution. Their mouths sort of fell open. A lot of the FBI agents and the DOJ that were sitting there watching sort of looked at each other in disbelief," Castronuova stated.
"I don't think that they expected that. I think that they added all of these new charges sort of hoping that this young man, Brian Cole Jr. … would be scared and plea out."
The attorneys for both sides provided the judge with an update on the discovery process.
Prosecutors stated that they had obtained "over a terabyte of data" and that they were still gathering additional information, including witness interview materials.
Cole's attorney, Alex Little with Litson PLLC, said the defense intended to subpoena Congress for Jan. 6 committee records. Little explained to the judge that they had plans to review lawmakers' investigation into the pipe bomber, stating that he believes that they may "have materials that we think would be useful."
The defense also shared potential plans to present "a third-party perpetrator defense" and indicated that they want to "rebut potential alibis of that third party."
During the hearing, the attorneys and judge also discussed the controversy surrounding a recent motion filed by the defense team.
Cole's legal team previously filed a motion on Apr. 1 claiming that former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Kerkhoff was "named as a person of interest in the January 5–6, 2021 pipe bomb investigation." The court filing claimed Kerkhoff was subjected to an FBI polygraph examination and that she "failed" after she was asked, "Did you place those pipe bombs?" and "Did you place those pipe bombs that evening?" Cole's attorneys further noted that the polygraph examiner called Kerkhoff's responses "seemingly rehearsed."
Kerkhoff has been officially cleared by the FBI and is no longer a suspect in the case.
Federal prosecutors argued that the motion violated the case's protective order, which set guidelines for handling confidential and sensitive discovery materials, including identifying information. Prosecutors requested that the judge hold Cole's attorneys in contempt for the public filing.
RELATED: Former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Kerkhoff files lawsuit against Blaze Media
Cole's defense team asserted that the motion did not violate the protective order in the case, stating that they "were surprised" the government believed it did.
"Your Honor, they immediately jumped to ask to hold me in contempt," Little stated.
"I find it important to make this record for the court. There was nothing in that protective order that we believed are satisfied by the things we put in that motion. We wouldn't have filed them. That's not the way we do things."
He expressed regret and referred to as a "mistake" that the motion contained an individual's home address. He noted that the address should have been removed.
Cole's attorney stated that other than that one instance, prosecutors did not specify any other personally identifiable information in the motion. He claimed that prosecutors were unnecessarily labeling discovery materials as sensitive, including "photographs of shoes that you can get on the web."
"I think the difficulty is when we have now two terabytes, three terabytes of discovery, do I need to show the government a draft of each of my motions to decide whether the information" could be submitted in a public court filing, Little stated, adding that prosecutors had made "half" of the discovery material "sensitive."
Prosecutors argued that the defense's "gambit worked," stating that the public motion "went everywhere" and was "covered by the media."
"The damage was done," a federal attorney told the judge.
Little stated that they "immediately" moved to get the motion "under seal" after being notified by prosecutors that the address was in the public motion.
The defense withdrew the motion, which removed it from the public docket, and filed it under seal. Cole's team then requested that the motion be unsealed with redactions.
The judge ordered counsel to confer and come back to the court with "a proposed redacted version" of the defense's motion.
Castronuova highlighted a moment when the judge reportedly "just started yelling" at the defense attorneys.
"He went from zero to 10 out of nowhere on the defense," she continued. "No one really understood why. He just got angry at something they said and just started reprimanding them, embarrassing them, and yelling at them in court."
At multiple points throughout the hearing, the judge told the defense to "stop talking," according to the transcript.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) reacted to updates from the status hearing last week, suggesting that the defense "put the plainclothes Capitol Police officers who 'found' the second bomb on the stand."
Massie urged them to ask, "Why didn't you immediately begin looking for a third bomb?" "Who told you to go to that area and look for it?" and "Why was the bomb not immediately dealt with?"
"And a new question: why did you look so intently under the empty bush where the pipe bomber dwelled for so long the night before?" Massie continued.
"This trial could get interesting."
Cole's defense team declined to comment. He is scheduled to appear back in court on May 29 for another status hearing.
On Friday, Cole's defense team submitted a motion further arguing for the dismissal of the case due to a lack of jurisdiction. His attorneys previously contended that President Donald Trump's broad pardons related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which applied to "individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol," should also cover Cole's case.
The government rejected the argument, stating that Cole had no pending indictment at the time the presidential proclamation was issued on Jan. 20, 2025. Prosecutors also asserted that the pipe bombs were placed on Jan. 5, 2021, and therefore were not related to the protest on Jan. 6.
Cole's lawyers responded to the government's arguments by stating that "a strict time limit does not exist in the text of" the president's pardon and, therefore, should not be inferred from it. They claimed it was "an on-going directive." They also reasoned that the timing and proximity of the pipe-bomb incident to the Jan. 6 protest indicate a connection.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Republican Committee Raises Record Funds, But Voter Motivation Remains A Big Problem
NRCC’s record haul comes as congressional Republicans continue to lag Democrats in generic preference polls.Ukrainian officials plotted to direct massive sums of US taxpayer aid to Biden's campaign: Intel report
Ukrainian government communications discussed a scheme to direct American taxpayer dollars to then-President Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee to boost Biden’s 2024 re-election bid against President Donald Trump, according to an intelligence report obtained by Just the News.
The newly unclassified documents summarize raw intercepts from U.S. spy agencies in late 2022. Officials who reviewed the files stated that there was a lack of curiosity to investigate the allegations under the Biden administration, the news outlet reported.
'In this manner, most of the US funding would be diverted to Joe Biden’s election campaign without the ability to track where exactly the funds came from.'
The American tax dollars were intended to fund a clean energy project in Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.
“The Ukrainian Government and unspecified U.S. Government personnel, through USAID in Kyiv, reportedly developed a plan that would provide hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund an infrastructure project for Ukraine that would be used as a cover to send approximately 90% of funds allocated to the DNC to fund Joe Biden’s re-election campaign,” the report read, according to Just the News.
“They were confident the project would be funded initially, even though at some time in the future the project would be disapproved as unnecessary. At this time, the money would already be allocated and impossible to return or use for a different purpose,” it added.
The report named two American subcontractors that could potentially receive the funds, officials told Just the News. However, those names were redacted in the report obtained by the news outlet.
“The plan included details of how subcontractors would be funded through U.S. companies so that how the funds were spent and allocated would be difficult to track,” the report continued. “Additionally, contracts would be executed that would be difficult to verify. In this manner, most of the U.S. funding would be diverted to Joe Biden’s election campaign without the ability to track where exactly the funds came from.”
Just the News reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently learned about the intelligence intercepts. She reportedly asked USAID officials to review their records to ascertain whether the alleged scheme was executed and whether a criminal referral should be made to the FBI.
RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard warns: Powerful foreign allies eager to pull US into war with Russia
An official told the news outlet that Gabbard’s team has not found substantive evidence indicating that the allegations were thoroughly investigated under Biden’s leadership. The official noted that the communications are not believed to be linked to Russian disinformation efforts.
Trump shared the Just the News article in a post on social media.
In a statement to Blaze News, a spokesperson for Gabbard confirmed the existence of related intelligence, adding that the director’s team is “working to review USAID holdings.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
'F**k off' and 'Get ICE the hell out of Minnesota': Democrats rattle sabers after Bondi demands voter rolls
Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded that Minnesota leaders share detailed records on the state’s federally funded welfare programs, repeal its sanctuary policies, and grant access to voter rolls. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party responded with a sharp, dismissive rejection.
On Saturday, Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) describing how the Trump administration’s efforts to enforce immigration laws have been hindered by local leaders. She noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents are facing a 1,300% increase in violence, including a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks.
'Donald Trump and Pam Bondi are demanding access to Minnesotans’ voter rolls in exchange for relieving us from the federal siege we are under.'
“The lawlessness in the streets is matched by the unprecedented financial fraud occurring on your watch,” Bondi told Walz. “And the out of control fraud in your state also implicates election security.”
Bondi made three requests.
First she demanded that Walz provide the federal government with all of the state’s records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs to allow for an investigation.
She pressed Walz to repeal Minnesota’s sanctuary policies, blaming them for an increase in crime and violence by preventing the state’s detention facilities from cooperating with ICE.
“I urge you to reach an agreement with ICE that allows them to remove illegal aliens in custody of Minnesota’s prisons and jails and avoids pushing these interactions into your streets,” Bondi wrote.
RELATED: Rioter bit off part of federal agent's finger amid Minneapolis 'rampant assault,' DHS says
Lastly she demanded that Walz allow the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to access the state’s voter rolls to confirm they comply with federal law.
“Do not obstruct federal immigration enforcement; do not allow rioters to take over the streets and houses of worship; do not hinder federal officials from investigating financial fraud and violations of election laws,” Bondi stated. “Whether state and local politicians stand in the way or not, we will work every day to protect Americans and make Minnesota Safe Again. I request that you join us in that effort.”
The DFL Party issued a statement on Sunday responding to Bondi, accusing the attorney general and President Donald Trump of attempting to “extort our state voter rolls.”
“Donald Trump and Pam Bondi are demanding access to Minnesotans’ voter rolls in exchange for relieving us from the federal siege we are under,” DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom said.
“Let us be direct: F**k off,” Carlbom remarked.
RELATED: Democrats threaten to shut down government over ICE funding: 'We are not powerless'
In a separate statement, the DFL Party accused Trump and Bondi of trying to “threaten and intimidate us with violence,” following a deadly shooting involving federal immigration agents and Illinois native Alex Pretti, 37.
The DFL Party shared a statement from Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin.
“Last night, following the heinous murder of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti at the hands of a federal immigration agent, Pam Bondi drafted and sent a threatening letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attempting to extort the state into handing over its voter rolls as part of an ongoing campaign to undermine local elections and build a national database for Trump’s political revenge and retribution,” Martin stated.
He vowed that the DNC would “stand with local elected officials and fight like hell, including in the courts.”
“For Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, and Greg Bovino, we have one message for you: Get ICE the hell out of Minnesota. Now,” Martin concluded.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
New Jersey Governor’s Special Election Trick Is ‘Blatant Political Corruption’
Gov. Phil Murphy's hasty deadline for 11th Congressional District candidates to file is the latest election rig job from win-at-all-cost Dems.Exclusive: Lawsuit Claims Leftist Benson Is Breaking Michigan Election Law
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's lax residency directive is 'unconstitutional and unlawful,' the RNC lawsuit alleges.Grassley: DOJ Partisans Killed Probe Into Clinton, DNC Steele Dossier Cash
'These records show the same partisans who rushed to cover for Clinton rabidly pursued Arctic Frost, which was a runaway train aimed directly at President Trump,' Grassley said.Today's top stories
www.theblaze.com