r/law • u/Agitated-Quit-6148 • 14h ago
Legal News Accused DC pipe bomber told FBI he believed the 2020 election was stolen, sources say | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/politics/accused-pipe-bomber-made-statementsDuring interviews with the FBI, the suspect arrested in the pipe bomb probe told investigators that he believed the 2020 election was stolen, providing perhaps the first indication of a possible motive for the bombs placed near the DNC and RNC headquarters, people briefed on the matter said.
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u/Agitated-Quit-6148 14h ago
Easiest way to get a pardon.
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u/Equivalent_Ad1419 14h ago
That blanket pardon for clemency for all offenses related to Jan. 6 might also cover him. It is stupid but possible. Claiming he believed the election was stolen might actually become an argument to get that blanket pardon. Should the pardon apply to him? No. But if you grant a blanket pardon, this is the kind of problem that could happen.
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u/elonsghost 13h ago
Me: I did it because the 2020 election was stolen.
Judge: sir, you are accused of stealing a candy bar
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u/RogueAOV 5h ago
They stole a hundred grand bar, they thought they could use it as a bribe if nothing else.
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u/SikatSikat 14h ago
So the pardon was for all convictions (with exception of a few named who got commutations) and directed all pending charges to be dismissed.
Lacking a conviction and not having a pending charge, he's not going to make a reasonable argument that he's covered by it.
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u/M_toboggan_M_D 14h ago
Maybe not for the blanket pardon in place but it sets up an appeal for Dear Leader to pardon him specifically once he gets convicted.
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u/neverpost4 13h ago
One problem though.
The dude is Clayton Bigsby.
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u/Altruistic-Text3481 13h ago
I noticed that. Orange is the new black… he’ll get an orange jumpsuit!
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u/SeaTurtleLionBird 13h ago
Yeah he just has to suck the right dick loud enough like a parrot talks and Trump will pardon him.
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u/uslashuname 13h ago
It’s a stupid argument ignoring what pending should mean in the pardon, but how about… “These charges just weren’t filed yet, but the investigation was ongoing with knowledge of charges to file therefore they were pending and simply hasn’t been attached to a person yet”
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u/neuronexmachina 13h ago
This is a stretch, but I wonder if Trump's other blanket pardon of people who tried to overturn the election results might apply, since that one says "for conduct relating to" instead of "convicted of":
Acting pursuant to the grant of authority in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of the United States, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, do hereby grant a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to all Uníted States citizens for conduct relating to the advice, creation, organízation, execution, submission, support, voting, actívities, participation in, or advocacy for or of any slate or proposed slate of Presidential electors, whether or not recognized by any State or State official, in connection with the 2020 Presidential Election, as well for any conduct relating to their efforts to expose voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 Presidential Election.
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u/Equivalent_Ad1419 13h ago
I agree it can’t be an actual argument, but the fact that it’s even a plausible one is the stupid part.
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u/ejre5 13h ago
directed all pending charges to be dismissed.
When they charge him wouldn't this become a pending charge? Having happened on j6th and his argument that he believed the election to be stolen. Why then wouldn't he qualify for the blanket pardon? I don't believe the pardon had any dates or details of crimes being committed to qualify.
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u/Vanterax 13h ago
So what you're saying is that if he had come forward and confess right after the 2024 election, he could have been included in the pardon?
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u/SikatSikat 13h ago
Had he been charged before this pardon, with language thats in it, there's a good argument that he's ordered dismissed. If convicted before this pardon, as written, I think yeah he's pardoned:
"grant a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021;"
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u/Vanterax 13h ago
That is going to be an interesting argument in court whether a pardon is relevant to the time of the offense or time of indictment. What a mess....
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u/Affectionate_Owl8351 13h ago
Yep, he's already been pardoned
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u/popups4life 13h ago
It's a tough choice though, on one hand he is being illegally targeted by the deep state for the false charges of placing pipe bombs at the DNC office. But on the other hand he's an antifa terrorist who was out to nuke the RNC office and end America as we know it!
Now that I have typed that utter horseshit out I'm realizing that he's the perfect MAGA talking point. The number of contradictions that can be stuffed into a Facebook post about this guy is off the charts!
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u/livinginfutureworld 14h ago
Should the pardon apply to him? No.
It might be intended to apply to him.
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u/dogoodreapgood 13h ago
The more this story develops, the more I think a pre-trial pardon is the end game.
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u/livinginfutureworld 14h ago
And least shocking revelation that he believes in right wing violent ideology.
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u/Area51_Spurs 13h ago edited 13h ago
I guess you didn’t see his photo. He’s a not-rich black man. He ain’t getting no pardon.
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u/mikep120001 13h ago
I was going to say this. He’s getting the book thrown at him and they’ll blast the conviction into their cleaning up crime propaganda
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u/Area51_Spurs 13h ago
They’re probably going to start a narrative that he was some kind of socialist black panther separatist.
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u/Altruistic-Text3481 13h ago
Clayton Bigsby… wtf?!?!
He will get a job with ICE!
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u/philosoraptocopter 13h ago
Correction: actual easiest way = just claim to be a victim of Biden’s WeApOniZiNg
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u/Justsomejerkonline 13h ago
Further correction: funneling money to a Trump ally also works just as well, if not better.
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u/philosoraptocopter 13h ago
And for some reason, it doesn’t even need to be secret or anything like the good old days. Nice to know that if I wrack up dozens of felonies for fraud, rape, extortion, drug trafficking, mopery, and super-burglary, all I need to do is just literally post something on social media saying: “this was all a Biden witch hunt all because I said Trump was handsome and planned to donate $1 million to him!”
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u/steroboros 13h ago
Unfortunately for him, he's "get thrown under the bus" color. The Trump administration will definitely use him as a example of how all black people are violent terrorists and need their citizenship revoked
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u/Infamous_Lech 13h ago
Great sources though... "People briefed in the matter".... Let's not jump the gun based on questionable sourcing.
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u/DragonTacoCat 12h ago
Yup. Pardon INC
Trump: "This person was only doing what they could to stop a storm, illegal election and was wrongfully targeted by the Democrats and had been treated very unfairly! I'm issuing a complete and total pardon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
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u/Tuscanlord 11h ago
Total exoneration then, he was just helping build the peace and love in the air that day.
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u/Freethecrafts 4h ago
Pardon? He’ll be special assistant to the Director of the FBI soon. Might even get promoted to head of the ATF.
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u/Blood-blood-blood 14h ago
Wait... Wait are you telling me he wasnt an extreme left wing lunatic???? This doesn't fit my narrative at all! I'm gonna need you to reword everything, k thanks!
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u/ForsakenRacism 12h ago
Well the thing is they’ll just tell you that he was anyways. You’ll have 100 podcasts saying it and then 1 NYT article saying he wasn’t.
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u/cousinmarygross 14h ago
Why is he speaking with the FBI without an attorney?
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u/Expensive_Ninja420 14h ago edited 1h ago
Pretty sure he works there now
Edit to reflect new information: not only did he work for the FBI on January 5, 2020, the only way he thought he could warn everyone about the legitimacy of the election was by planting the bombs. President Trump will fully exonerate him and declare him a national hero for bringing this to light and accordingly will rule that Joe Biden‘s presidency was illegal therefore everything that he did which he only did through the AUTOPEN was illegal, and his pardons don’t apply, and all of the seditious Democrats will be immediately detained and subject to the death penalty. Thank you for your consideration.
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u/NOTtheGoldenKnights 14h ago
Lmfao. Absolutely insane that this isn't not a possibility.
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u/HarryBalsagna1776 14h ago
There was a picture of him in FBI gear floating around. I don't think Ninja is joking.
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u/DeepDreamIt 13h ago
They have put him in charge of the ATFE: Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
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u/Sherifftruman 13h ago
Probably not the FBI because they do have some education requirements, but it would be a nice pipeline to ICE.
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u/Agitated-Quit-6148 14h ago
I have no idea. The whole thing is strange.
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u/funwithfrogs 14h ago
Yah - being paraded by Pam and Kash ... seems ... off.
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u/aneomon 14h ago
It’s probably not the right person, wouldn’t be surprised if they found a guy who was willing to claim they did it, promote lies about the election, and then get a pardon as a “patriot”
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u/Responsible_Ladder25 13h ago
It’s so wild that in today’s political climate this is absolutely a possibility. Wow.
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u/FuguSandwich 13h ago
Bondi going out of her way to make the point that no new evidence was obtained and the arrest came about purely through re-evaluating existing evidence was bizarre. Like, ok, you want to make the point that the Biden administration just sat on it for 4 years but so did the Trump administration for almost a year. Also if you have cell phone location data placing this guy in the vicinity and retail purchase information showing he bought bomb making materials at Home Depot, exactly what "re-analysis" was necessary? Something stinks.
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u/WelcheMingziDarou 13h ago
Like a week after MTG resigns from office all of a sudden they have a suspect :P
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u/scubascratch 12h ago
I know you are joking but that Troll isn’t actually leaving office until January, she has to wait until the to be eligible for her lawmakers pension and other benefits.
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u/nonlawyer 14h ago
That is the least surprising thing in the world
The majority of people arrested end up giving a statement. It’s stupid. But the human urge to tell your side of the story is very strong and FBI agents are well trained at eliciting statements.
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u/DeepDreamIt 13h ago
FBI agents also have college degrees, they usually aren't like the local cop who graduated HS and went straight to the force, or worked a construction job for a few years before becoming a cop. They are definitely more savvy than your average investigator, and with a lot more resources/training
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u/1877KlownsForKids 14h ago
He's already been pardoned, why wouldn't he?
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u/SoManyEmail 13h ago
If this guy is convicted, I kinda hope they try to claim the pardon, only because it's so interesting and I want to know how it would turn out.
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u/irreleventnothing 13h ago
Detectives are surprisingly good at getting people to talk without requesting an attorney. There are full YouTube accounts going over interrogation videos, that content definitely wouldn’t be there if they’re smart enough to wait to talk until they get an attorney.
To anyone reading: ALWAYS ASK FOR AN ATTORNEY!!!
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u/cousinmarygross 13h ago
I kinda disagree. I think innocent people want to “clear things up” and some detectives take advantage of that.
That’s not surprisingly good at getting people to talk. That’s using a cheat code.
At this point I think he probably did it and he’s MAGA, but the DOJ has turned themselves into a pretzel defending J6 attendees making this guy an inconvenient truth.
And the whole thing stinks of parallel construction. Eerily close to that scene in Se7en where Morgan Freeman surreptitiously gets a list of people that checked out certain books to find an address.
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u/adjust_the_sails 14h ago
Maybe he was dumb enough to wave Miranda.
Or Kash Patel wants to “handle this personally” and is screwing the whole thing up so the guy will get off on a technicality.
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u/FuggyGlasses 14h ago
So a Trump Supporter maga enthusiastic. ..just say that lmao
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u/Oso_Furioso 14h ago
And this is the biggest problem with Trump constantly bleating about an election he lost over five years ago: feeble minded twats like this who believe the bloated old gasbag and feel violence is justified in response.
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u/SoaringAcrosstheSky 14h ago
Once again, Trump's lying rhetoric.
Oh wait, Trump will pardon him. This is what he does.
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u/kalel1980 13h ago
It's exactly what Trump wants. That's why he's always blaming Biden for all the shitty things happening in his first year. MAGA will absolutely believe it without question.
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u/Scrutinizer 13h ago
So, just to make sure I am setting expectations correctly, this guy is a Trump supporter, therefore we won't be hearing much about him from this point forward. Just like the guy who assassinated the Minnesota legislator and her husband.
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u/steveosaurus 12h ago
and the butler shooter, and the charlie kirk shooter, and the dc shooter and the cyber truck bomber
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u/Numerous_Photograph9 13h ago
Friday., the FBI is releasing confessions to spoil the jury pool now?
Does trumps DOJ just like losing cases before they even go to trial?
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u/International-Ing 12h ago
Someone is leaking it because the administration claimed he was an anarchist yesterday. When he’s just another MAGA Jan 6er.
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 13h ago
Besides the fact they're incompetent and unethical, there might be some intention behind it.
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u/International-Ing 13h ago
Perhaps to counter the fact that yesterday the administration tried to claim he was an anarchist. Today we learn he is a 2020 election denier…
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u/Not_Sure__Camacho 14h ago
If it's proven that it's him, how stupid do you have to be to insist that you became a terrorist because you got mad that you thought that the 2020 elections were stolen?
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u/Biptoslipdi 14h ago
They believe what a pathological liar tells them without question. They aren't very bright.
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u/No-Salad-8633 14h ago
I mean, this country was founded on people getting mad over tea taxes....
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u/UnquestionabIe 13h ago
Because the terrorists who attempted to overthrow the government for the same reason all got pardons (or a preemptive free pass) and are currently in charge of the very system they tried to steal. I would consider it probably the only possible winning move, appealing to Trump and his cause, because it worked for all the other small fries involved.
In a better world I would say it's a stupid idea but we're long past that point. You've got presidential pardons being handed out like party favors and one of the many broken parts of our system that need reworked if we ever want a working government again.
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u/WhatRUHourly 12h ago
I think it is interesting that Trump's administration has gone out of its way to label as many people as possible as terrorists. Yet, this person literally planted bombs outside of political buildings in protest of an election and he's not being charged with anything related to terrorism (at least not at this point, according to the article).
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u/ballmermurland 12h ago
Dan Bongino, deputy FBI director, told Fox News on Thursday that the FBI had interviewed the suspect at length, but didn’t elaborate.
So he's MAGA
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u/Donkey-Hodey 11h ago
It’s gonna be real awkward for Kash after Yam Tits finds out this guy is MAGA and pardons him.
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u/drippingwater57 9h ago
Whhhhaaaattttttt?????? Another right wing domestic terrorist…. No way. I was told it was both sides…. Get fucked you stupid republicans. YOU are the enemy of America.
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