# Last Jan. 6 case splits Trump allies

> Conservatives push to drop the only active prosecution tied to the Capitol attack, claiming the pipe bomb suspect is being framed.
- Title: Last Jan. 6 case splits Trump allies · NBC News | Shortify
- Summary: Conservatives push to drop the only active prosecution tied to the Capitol attack, claiming the pipe bomb suspect is being framed. Right-wing figures are…
- Keywords: brian cole jr, january 6 attack, pipe bombs, trump administration, justice department, dan bongino, shauni kerkhoff, the blaze, enrique tarrio, federal prosecution, politics, news
- Source: NBC News — https://nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/right-wing-conservatives-push-shut-last-active-jan-6-prosecution-rcna597038
- Author: Ryan J. Reilly
- Published: 2026-09-28T09:00:40+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: brian cole jr, january 6 attack, pipe bombs, trump administration, justice department, dan bongino, shauni kerkhoff, the blaze, enrique tarrio, federal prosecution, politics, news
## One case left standing
Brian Cole Jr. is accused of planting two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committees on January fifth, twenty twenty-one.
## The only active prosecution
Cole's case is the last federal prosecution tied to the Capitol attack. He was arrested almost five years after the devices were placed.
## Trump pardoned the rest
Trump pardoned January sixth defendants as one of his first acts in office, shutting down investigations into rioters who beat law enforcement and caused an estimated two point seven billion dollars in costs.
## Why Cole's case survived
Federal prosecutors continued because the bombs were placed the night before the attack and therefore fell outside Trump's mass January sixth pardon.
## Cole's defense strategy
Cole has pleaded not guilty. His legal team notes he was diagnosed with autism and plans to seek to have his confession tossed based on his disability or coercion.
## Conservatives claim a setup
Right-wing figures accuse the Trump administration of framing Cole, spreading discredited theories that deep state actors placed the bombs to make January sixth seem more violent.
## Bongino's shifting position
Dan Bongino said in a twenty twenty-four podcast he had zero doubt the bombs were an inside job. As FBI deputy director, he pushed the investigation forward and helped crack the case.

> zero doubt
## Massie calls it a conspiracy
Rep. Thomas Massie posted that officials including Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel were complicit in a conspiracy and said Cole is not the pipe bomber.
## An innocent officer targeted
The Blaze, a right-wing website, published a story suggesting former Capitol Police officer Shauni Kerkhoff placed the bombs based on a gait analysis. The FBI cleared her completely.
## Kerkhoff's life upended
Kerkhoff was subjected to a search by armed agents, a bomb-disposal truck, and a helicopter, followed by a three-hour polygraph interrogation. She has sued The Blaze for defamation.
## The Blaze backs down
The Blaze retracted its story on December fourth, the day Cole was charged, saying fairness and accuracy required the retraction despite standing by its sources.
## Tarrio joins the defense
Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader serving twenty two years until Trump commuted his sentence, came to court to support Cole and wore a Brian Cole Did Nothing Wrong T-shirt.

> Brian Cole Did Nothing Wrong
## Trial set for February
Cole's trial is scheduled for February. The case has opened a rift between the Trump administration and prominent right-wing conservatives seeking to undermine the prosecution.
## Key takeaway

Right-wing figures are seeking to undermine the prosecution of Brian Cole Jr., accused of planting pipe bombs before January sixth, claiming he is being framed by the government.