Former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance on MS NOW on December 5, 2025

On Thursday, December 4, the FBI arrested a suspect its long-running investigation of pipe bombs that were found outside both the Democratic and Republican Party headquarters in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021. The suspect, according to NBC News, is 30 year-old Brian Cole Jr.

An anarchist and conspiracy theorist, Cole reportedly believed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump — a repeatedly debunked claim that inspired the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.

Joyce White Vance, the former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, discussed Cole's arrest and the case against him during a December 5 appearance on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC). And she argued that the "politicization" of the Department of Justice undermines the type of "hard, painstaking work" that goes into an investigation like the one involving the January 2021 pipe bombs.

"The affidavit that was released yesterday provides a compelling portrait of the government's evidence in this case," White told MS NOW host Ana Cabrera and her colleague Ken Dilanian. "And, Ana, as you've been discussing, one of the real tragedies of the era that we live in is that the politicization of the Justice Department has made it more difficult for people to have confidence when the FBI does the hard, painstaking work it clearly did in this case."

The suspect, Vance noted, is "apparently talking to law enforcement" now, and she believes that some type of plea deal may be forthcoming.

"So now, as he continues to speak," Vance told Cabrera, "they'll want to confirm the evidence in the affidavit — which, when you put it together, is quite compelling. They have evidence that this defendant purchased components that were used for making these bombs — not just one component, but multiple components like the timers, kitchen timers, that were used in the bombs, like the end caps in two specific varieties. So, that'll be important to go over with him."

Vance continued, "They've got cell tower information that places him in the location where bombs were planted around the time that they were planted. They'll go over that with him and see if he'll confess in that regard ... Here, there's no doubt that a crime was committed. The government has strong evidence that this is the defendant who is responsible, and so, that permits them to negotiate with defense lawyers who will try to get a good outcome for their client."

Watch the segment below:

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