Lawyers for Brian Cole Jr., the man on trial for allegedly planting bombs at the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee offices, argued in court papers that Cole is covered by President Donald Trump’s blanket clemency of Jan. 6 suspects.

Cole, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was indicted in January of this year in federal district court in the planting of two improvised explosive devices on Jan. 5, 2021, at the headquarters of both major parties in the nation’s capital.

On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump issued a proclamation pardoning approximately 1,500 people charged with offenses related to the civil disorder around the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while Congress was attempting to certify the 2020 presidential election.

Attorneys said the felony charges Cole is facing for allegedly transporting and using explosives should be thrown out because Trump gave clemency to anyone convicted of or charged with crimes “related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” according to a motion filed on March 16 with U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where he is being tried.

“Applying governing law to the plain, unambiguous language of … President Trump’s pardon demonstrates that the pardon applies to Mr. Cole because his alleged conduct is inextricably tethered to the events at or near the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,” the motion said.

“The pardon—like it or not—applies to Mr. Cole, based on the ordinary and plain meaning of the pardon’s language as applied to the relevant facts in this case,” the attorneys said as they asked the court to dismiss the charges pending against their client.

The lawyers said some individuals covered by Trump’s sweeping clemency were indicted for doing things before Jan. 6, 2021, that are thought to have contributed to violence that day.

For example, Kenneth Harrelson was accused of stockpiling and transporting firearms and ammunition for potential use against U.S. citizens from Jan. 1 to Jan. 5, 2021, “despite said conduct occurring prior to Jan. 6, 2021.”

In May 2023, Harrelson received a sentence of four years of incarceration and two years of supervised release after being convicted of obstructing an official proceeding, conspiring to prevent an officer from discharging duties, and tampering with proceedings or documents.

The motion said if Harrelson received a commuted sentence for transporting firearms and ammunition to be used against the government, the government “seems to be wasting our time trying to convict Mr. Cole” for allegedly transporting prohibited materials to the Washington area.

Cole’s devices did not explode, and no one was injured, the motion said.

The Epoch Times reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice for comment. No reply was received by publication time.

This article by Matthew Vadum appeared March 17, 2026, in The Epoch Times.