Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie called on the judge overseeing the January 6 pipe bomb case to release the alleged perpetrator Tuesday.
Massie called for Brian Cole Jr.’s release, arguing the evidence against him was weak, he had no prior criminal record and he posed no threat to public safety. The congressman also alleged U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) “botched the legal work” in the case.
“The judge should release autistic J6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr,” Massie wrote. “No credible motive, presents danger to no one, flimsy evidence, no priors, willing to wear a tracker under house arrest, family will vouch, and DOJ botched the legal work. Irreparable harm to him otherwise.”
The judge should release autistic J6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr.
No credible motive, presents danger to no one, flimsy evidence, no priors, willing to wear a tracker under house arrest, family will vouch, and DOJ botched the legal work.
Irreparable harm to him otherwise. https://t.co/JWxqKXLgtz
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 6, 2026
Massie was responding to an X post by “The Blaze” reporter Joe Hanneman that included a link to an emergency motion for review submitted by Cole’s defense attorney Alex Little on Tuesday, the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6. (RELATED: ‘Something Just Snapped’: Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Jr.’s Confession Revealed In Court Docs)
Little demanded that Cole be immediately released, alleging there was no preliminary hearing and no valid indictment, and argued “his continued detention is illegal.”
The DOJ announced on Dec. 4 that Cole was arrested on charges of transporting an explosive device and attempting a malicious destruction using explosives. He allegedly began buying bomb-making materials in 2019 and 2020. He told investigators he “just snapped” and wanted to punish both major political parties, according to a Dec. 28 court filing. He also allegedly claimed to be inspired by The Troubles, the decades-long ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland.
Prosecutors charged Cole in an unsealed federal complaint with transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices outside the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, the eve of the Capitol riot, according to the DOJ.
Brian J. Cole Jr.’s disclosed Level 1 autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder will recast everything about pipe-bombs prosecution. https://t.co/JCgutaqyJF pic.twitter.com/y49Jz7Ct1i
— Joe Hanneman 🇺🇸 (@HanneBlaze64) January 3, 2026
The pipe bombs were later discovered and rendered safe without detonating, according to officials. Federal prosecutors said Cole admitted to carrying out the attacks. (RELATED: ‘Something Just Snapped’: Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Jr.’s Confession Revealed In Court Docs)
“The defendant cannot rebut the statutory presumption of detention considering the extreme and profoundly serious nature of his crimes, the overwhelming evidence of his guilt, the years he has spent deceiving those around him to avoid accountability, and the intolerable risk that he will again resort to violence to express his frustration with the world around him,” prosecutors said in the filing. “The facts and circumstances in this case compel the conclusion that there is no condition or combination of conditions that would reasonably assure the safety of the community if the defendant were released pending trial.”
Pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr.’s defense says the DOJ makes three fundamental mistakes in opposing an emergency review of detention until trial. Latest U.S. District Court filing: https://t.co/fI6V1TMMOa pic.twitter.com/q4pVXg8gM4
— Joe Hanneman 🇺🇸 (@HanneBlaze64) January 6, 2026
Law enforcement discovered the explosives on the same day rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol to protest the certification of former President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, intensifying the political chaos gripping the nation. A number of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and confidential human sources were also in the Capitol’s vicinity, documents released in the years since revealed.
Massie previously pressed January 6 Committee Chair Bennie Thompson regarding the investigation into the pipe bombs and the deletion of Secret Service texts connected with the events of Jan. 6. He focused on the bombs found at the DNC and RNC, questioning why the committee had not conducted a thorough examination of the incident. (RELATED: Thomas Massie Grills J6 Committee Chair Over Pipe Bomb Investigation, Secret Service Scrubbing Phones)
Massie also challenged Thompson on the whereabouts of former Vice President Kamala Harris, noting she was at the DNC when the bombs were discovered.
He claimed there were delays in the Secret Service’s response and criticized the agency for reportedly deleting texts and destroying phones, calling out former Biden Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the DOJ for comment.