A federal judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s expansive pardon of January 6 rioters does not apply to a Virginia man accused of planting two pipe bombs in Washington, DC, the night before the 2021 US Capitol breach.

Background of the Case

Prosecutors say Brian Cole Jr. placed bombs near the Republican and Democratic national committees’ headquarters on the night of January 5, 2021. His attorneys argued in March that Cole should be covered by Trump’s pardon because the alleged conduct is related to the events at the Capitol on January 6.

On his first day back in office last year, Trump issued a pardon to nearly every person who was convicted of attacking the US Capitol, marking the end of a sweeping four-year Justice Department probe.

In a three-page order, US District Judge Amir H. Ali, an appointee of President Joe Biden, rejected Cole’s argument that he should be included in that pardon. The judge stated that the pardon is expressly limited to people who had been convicted of offenses related to the events at the Capitol, and Cole had not been convicted of the conduct at issue when the President issued the pardon.

Cole is due back in court Wednesday for a status hearing. When Cole’s lawyers asked the court in March to dismiss the case against him, a White House official disputed the defense team’s argument, stating that the pipe bombs were placed on January 5 and the pardon pertained to events at or near the Capitol on January 6.

The FBI alleges that Cole compiled bomb-making supplies for months before leaving the viable explosive devices outside of the political offices. During interviews with the FBI, Cole told investigators that he believed the 2020 election was stolen.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.