Accused DC pipe bomber tells court Trump’s broad Jan. 6 pardon should apply to him | CNN Politics

The Virginia man accused of planting two pipe bombs in Washington, DC, the night before the 2021 US Capitol riot asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss his case, arguing that President Donald Trump’s expansive pardon of January 6 rioters applies to him. Brian Cole Jr.’s alleged conduct “is so inextricably and demonstrably tethered to the ‘events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021’” that Trump’s sweeping clemency prevents him from being prosecuted, his lawyers argued in a filing. “The President’s Pardon unequivocally applies to Mr. Cole, because in no manner is Mr. Cole’s alleged conduct wholly independent of events at the Capitol on January 6,” the attorneys said. A White House official disputed the defense team’s argument. “The pipe bombs were placed on Jan 5. The pardon pertained to events at or near capitol on January 6 and clearly does not cover this scenario,” the official said in a statement to CNN. Politico was first to report on the motion to dismiss. On his first day in office last year, Trump issued a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to nearly every person who was convicted of attacking the US Capitol on Ja