Rep. Tim Burchett: January 6 Pipe Bomb Case ‘Stunk From Day One’ — CCTV Puts Charged Suspect a Mile Away

 

Rep. Tim Burchett said the January 6 pipe bomb investigation “stunk from day one.”

The Tennessee Republican, re-elected as Democrats took the House, told The Gateway Pundit the handling of the devices was marked by a lack of normal procedure from the moment they were discovered. 

“When somebody comes running up to you and says, ‘Hey, there’s something over here,’ and the police don’t get out of their car, hardly,” Burchett said. “That whole thing just stunk. That stunk from day one.”

He was more direct about Brian Cole Jr., the autistic man the FBI charged with planting the devices outside the RNC and DNC on the evening of January 5, 2021.

“It’s ridiculous. I don’t think we’re getting justice with that,” Burchett said. “I think that’s a cover up of many cover ups that occur up here.”

He added that “somebody had to be” involved besides the person who placed the alleged bombs. 

WATCH:

Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested in December 2025 and remains in pretrial detention on terrorism-related explosives charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Defense filings note his autism diagnosis and lack of criminal history.

Yet newly surfaced Capitol CCTV allegedly places Cole on the northwest side of the complex at the precise moment the hooded figure was on the southeast side depositing the devices more than a mile away.

Measurements from the footage indicate the hooded individual wore approximately a size 9 to 9.5 shoe. Cole’s shoe size is 12 to 12.5.

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The FBI previously estimated the suspect’s height at roughly 5 feet 7 inches. Multiple observers have long noted that the suspect’s build and stride appear female.

Prosecutors said Cole confessed after initially denying involvement. The defense has moved to suppress the statements and has indicated it may pursue an alternative-perpetrator theory.

Mainstream outlets reported extensively on the December 2025 arrest. Follow-up on the CCTV location discrepancy and shoe-size mismatch has remained primarily confined to independent reporting.

Most members of Congress contacted by say they know little about the case and refer questions to the House January 6 subcommittee.

Sen. Ted Cruz, asked about the latest forensic developments, said he had not seen them.

 

Cole’s trial is set to begin February 16, 2027. Large portions of the Capitol CCTV remain unreleased. With Republicans preparing to hand the gavel to the incoming Democratic majority, the remaining footage is unlikely to ever be made public.

Burchett’s comments are among the few on-record statements from a sitting member of Congress questioning the official narrative.

The footage does not match the man charged. The trial is set. And the rest of the tape is still sealed.

Rep. Tim Burchett: January 6 Pipe Bomb Case ‘Stunk From Day One’ — CCTV Puts Charged Suspect a Mile Away Rep. Tim Burchett: January 6 Pipe Bomb Case ‘Stunk From Day One’ — CCTV Puts Charged Suspect a Mile Away Reviewed by Your Destination on November 15, 2026 Rating: 5

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