Man charged with planting pipe bombs before Jan. 6 riot argues pardons apply to him

A man charged with planting pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot claims he's covered by President Donald Trump's blanket pardons

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's sweeping act of clemency for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol also should apply to a man charged with planting pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, the suspect's attorneys argue in a bid to get his case dismissed.

In a court filing Monday, defense attorneys assert that Trump's blanket pardons extend to the charges against Brian J. Cole Jr. because his alleged conduct on Jan. 5, 2021, is "inextricably tethered" to what happened at the Capitol on the following day. They're asking U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to throw out the case before trial.

Justice Department prosecutors didn't immediately respond in writing to the defense's request. In a previous court filing, prosecutors said Cole, under questioning by FBI agents, denied that his actions were related to the Jan. 6 proceedings at the Capitol.

Last January, on his first day back in the White House, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences and ordered the dismissal of all 1,500-plus people charged in the attack by a mob of his supporters.

Nearly a year later, Cole was arrested on charges that he placed two pipe bombs outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the night before the riot. The devices didn't detonate before law enforcement officers discovered them on Jan. 6.