House Republicans have called on the FBI director to brief them on the progress of the more than two-year-old investigation of pipe bombs placed near the Washington headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee a day before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In requesting the update, lawmakers cited The Washington Times’ exclusive report that a former FBI agent who had been involved in the investigation accused the bureau of botching the probe and misrepresenting critical details to the public.
In a letter spearheaded by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, the lawmakers asked FBI Director Christopher A. Wray for a briefing and criticized the director for previously ignoring requests for an update on the pipe bomb investigation.
“The slow progression of the FBI’s investigation into the January 6 pipe bombs raises significant concerns about the FBI’s prioritization of that case in relation to other January 6 investigations.
“Accordingly, we reiterate our outstanding requests for a briefing on the status of the pipe bomb investigation and request that you provide this briefing as soon as possible,” they wrote.
The letter was also signed by Judiciary Committee members Andy Biggs of Arizona and Bill Posey of Florida.
DOCUMENT: House Judiciary Committee Letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray
The Judiciary Committee lawmakers first requested a briefing in January, but Mr. Wray failed to comply. The lawmakers said new questions about the progress of the FBI’s probe have added urgency to the request.
The request in January was prompted by an FBI whistleblower who described the “unusual” nature of the investigation. The whistleblower said that nearly a year after the incident, the FBI Washington Field Office asked for agents nationwide to canvas all confidential human sources and include sources reporting on all [types of] threats because the suspect’s “motive and ideology remain unknown.”
The FBI confirmed receiving the lawmakers’ letter.
“The FBI’s investigation into the pipe bombs is continuing and it’s one we take very seriously. We encourage members of the public who might have information to contact us,” the FBI said in a statement.
Mr. Jordan and Mr. Biggs called Mr. Wray’s failure to comply “particularly concerning” in light of The Times report early this month that revealed new details about the pipe bomb investigation.
Former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin, who worked on the pipe bomb investigation, told The Times that agents had linked a Metrorail SmarTrip card used by the bomber to when he placed the bombs and then to travel through the Washington Metro system to a stop in Northern Virginia.
“The FBI used security camera footage from the Northern Virginia Metro stop to identify the license plate of a car that the individual entered. Still, the FBI has not identified the subject,” the lawmakers wrote in the new letter to Mr. Wray. “The slow progression of the FBI’s investigation into the January pipe bombs raises significant concerns about the FBI’s prioritization of that case in relation to other January 6 investigations.”
The suspect was caught on surveillance video. He wore a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, a pair of Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a yellow Nike logo, a backpack and gloves. He was recorded walking through Capitol Hill neighborhoods carrying what federal investigators said were two live pipe bombs.
However, Mr. Seraphin said technicians determined the pipe bombs were inoperable.
His story runs counter to the FBI’s official version that the devices could have detonated at any time. The bureau repeated that story in January while offering a $500,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Mr. Seraphin also explained that another individual bought the Metrorail SmarTrip card one year before the pipe bomber suspect used it on Jan. 5, 2021.
The FBI had surveillance video that showed the person entering a car with a visible license plate after exiting a Metro stop in Northern Virginia.
“The card had never been used before. It was bought a year prior by a retired chief master sergeant in the Air Force, and he was a security contractor. So he held a security clearance,” Mr. Seraphin said.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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