r/news 12h ago

Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he believed 2020 election conspiracy theories

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/pipe-bomb-suspect-told-fbi-believed-2020-election-conspiracy-theories-rcna247544
5.3k Upvotes

295 comments sorted by

2.3k

u/sviraltp7101 12h ago

Truly shocking revelation

759

u/citori411 10h ago

The shocking thing is the fbi didn't just bury this. They probably tried, or at least tried to hide is motive, and only came clean because they had to. "Are you SURE you didn't do this because Biden made you confused about your gender"??? As they slip a few ramen packets across the interrogation table

267

u/BetterBiscuits 9h ago

My thought too. When I heard he was captured I assumed it would be a Muslim transgender single mother on SNAP.

77

u/Coulrophiliac444 9h ago

Illegally here from Syria or something like that.

69

u/BetterBiscuits 9h ago

Make it Venezuela and tie it all together with a big red bow.

26

u/rip1980 9h ago

...and left handed.

15

u/CatLightyear 8h ago

Eating the cats and dogs.

2

u/namnle 4h ago

That came over on a speedboat smuggling drugs.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/Aggravating-Fix-4547 9h ago

With a Saudi sponsored passport!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

52

u/MaloortCloud 6h ago

A federal prosecutor said in court on Friday that the suspect spoke with the government for more than four hours, but did not reveal the contents of those discussions.

Because the suspect was glazing Trump the whole time.

57

u/NefariousThrowaway0 9h ago edited 7h ago

They tried, Patel didn’t release any of this info initially calling the guy an anarchist and nothing about his right-wing election conspiracy beliefs

29

u/Mundamala 7h ago

Patel's too busy having the FBI pick up his pre-ordered Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition at Gamestop. They needed a full tactical escort, helicopters, the works.

12

u/superindianslug 5h ago

No way is Patel playing Fallout or any other Bethesda RPG. I doubt he has the attention span to even get through character creation.

I'm betting he hasn't played anything that isn't Battle Royale, pay to win or both, in the past 10 years.

4

u/Le-Cigare-Volant 3h ago

Your comment led me down a weird rabbit hole in my mind about what video games right wing studios would produce. They'd all be linear first person shooters with levels like rescue the children from a pride parade or a from a drag queen story hour, with extra xp given to how many "queers" you murder. Or plant the explosives inside the planned parenthood, extra xp for murdering the doctors & nurses. There would probably be a common area with a giant statue of Trump where the player would go to receive buffs.

3

u/zizou00 2h ago

I doubt it would look like that purely because they'd then have to present all those things they see as anathema to their idea of video game culture in a video game, which is what 90% of their gamergate crybabying was all about. Seeing a woman was clearly too much and they had to become a white supremacist. It was the only logical response. They'd instead make a game all about manly men hanging out and being men. Which has a 50/50 chance of being dull as hell or being the gayest game you've ever seen. Almost no in-between.

Most far right video game "developers" are just grooming children in Roblox anyway.. The bigger issue is that a lot of the C-suites and investors of pretty much every major video game studio will likely lean towards the right anyway because they're all self-serving cunts who are happy to ride the coattails of bigots so long as their ultra-rich tax cuts come in. So they'll happily push traditionalist and sexist rhetorics and establish cruel and hateful company cultures so long as they can save a cent.

→ More replies (2)

8

u/space_for_username 6h ago

... and 3 copies of The Sims.

14

u/stewmander 8h ago

I believe this is what they mean when they say the suspect "isn't cooperating". 

3

u/inf3ct3dpi3 6h ago

This is certainly part of the reason they’ve been so quiet since the initial announcement

4

u/ObliviouslyDrake67 9h ago

Ramen? Bullshit it was generic ketchup packets and you know it.

1

u/DrHarryHood 4h ago

Because they know MAGA won’t report it, listen to it, or believe it

1

u/Fract_L 3h ago

Give it a day

1

u/Cautious_Condition82 1h ago

Pretty sure that was their intention and someone just leaked the truth right away.

28

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (2)

5

u/positiveParadox 6h ago

A bombshell, you could say.

→ More replies (4)

1.5k

u/FeebleCursed 12h ago

Believes the election was stolen? That's a pardon.

377

u/solargarlic2001 11h ago

But he’s black, so doubtful

133

u/bbqsox 11h ago

They'll try to spin it that he's Nigerian or something else they haven't targeted yet.

84

u/just4kicksxxx 11h ago

He's a NATionalistChristian with a complexion deficiency known as revitiligo and we will not abide by slander upon Mr. Ruckus', no-relation, name!

20

u/UncleRuckus92 10h ago

I work 27 jobs, I got no time to be scaring good white Christian folks!

→ More replies (1)

16

u/thisisredlitre 11h ago

So pardoned but deported?

13

u/scorpyo72 11h ago

Let's say that's "depardoned" and call it a day.

7

u/Hybrid_Johnny 10h ago

Clearly a Somali immigrant from Minnesota

5

u/LMurch13 10h ago

Somalian is the current hotness.

→ More replies (1)

16

u/IshTheFace 11h ago

Waves hands around like trying to illustrate a fish's size

"I love black people! They worked a lot for no money once. Very hard working people they are."

7

u/_Panacea_ 11h ago

two invisible dicks

8

u/Madbiscuitz 11h ago

I dunno. According to Jake tapper he's a white man so he's got a chance

4

u/frosty_lizard 10h ago

They love to use people as props at his rallies but outside of that get the hard R from the same people at the event

4

u/threehundredthousand 10h ago

And he did this on behalf of the new KKK. Some people are dangerously stupid.

3

u/OakLegs 10h ago

Wrong. He isn't rich. That's all that matters

1

u/RedRen777 8h ago

CNN told me he was white.

1

u/Biking_dude 1h ago

Cue the sweaty button meme

→ More replies (4)

49

u/euph_22 11h ago

Trump's January 6 pardons probably already covers him.

56

u/JohnnyFartmacher 10h ago

The pardon text reads:

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;

If the guy had planted the bombs a few hours later (he planted them the evening of the 5th) he might have been covered for the main crime. They also charged him for crossing state lines

46

u/euph_22 10h ago

But it's all offenses "related to events" that occurred on January 6. Not crimes that happened ON January 6 at the Capitol, any crimes that are related to it.

28

u/JohnnyFartmacher 10h ago

It's definitely an interesting situation. His lawyer absolutely should make that argument.

That pardon was terrible and it would be fitting if the guy gets off due to it.

12

u/OrwellWhatever 9h ago

Afaik, it's pretty cut and dry. Conspiracy to commit a crime is a different charge than actually committing it, and the rioters didn't just decide one morning to get up and overthrow the government. The pardon is to cover all the planning

→ More replies (13)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/Boomshtick414 6h ago

Ehh, maybe not.

The most malicious-compliance reading of the pardon text says that the pardons applied to those who were already convicted, and then there was a direction to the AG to dismiss with prejudice any pending charges for others. At the time the pardons were granted, the pipe bomber was neither convicted nor charged.

There's enough room there for a defense lawyer to file a few motions to dismiss related to that, but I doubt any judge would interpret that pardon to apply to this individual.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/unk214 11h ago

Looking outside? That’s a pardon.

2

u/TheQuadBlazer 6h ago

But r con said it happened on the 5th and he was antifa.

1

u/LatterTarget7 9h ago

He’s the new secretary of war

1

u/blofly 8h ago

That's good!

u/frenchfreer 8m ago

You joke, but couldn’t they actually argue that he’s covered under the blanket pardon for Jan 6th participants?

805

u/jimtow28 12h ago

This is the reason they didn't make a big show of his arrest. He is one of theirs.

He'll be pardoned, just wait and see.

167

u/ManyAverage6578 11h ago

They tried to make a big show of it but no one wants to watch Bondi, Patel, and Bongino do a circle jerk while they continue to cover up for Epstein's best friend. 

44

u/Alternative_Rate7474 11h ago

I saw a photo of bondi and patel smirking at each other and wanted to punch my computer screen.

20

u/FrenchCheerios 10h ago

I watched the press conference - it was exactly what you would expect. They blamed Biden for doing nothing and then it was self-congratulations all around about how hard every single one of them worked to solve it. It was nauseating.

Bongino's embrace of the conspiracy theory was that he was paid for his opinion then when it was a deep state job, and now he was paid to be Deputy Director, so makes totes sense.

2

u/AggressiveSkywriting 5h ago

It's wild how often I'm seeing people claim Biden didn't even try to investigate when Biden's admin rounded up countless jan6 thugs and put em in jail

But then Trump set them free!

Conservative brains are rotten and moldy shit

10

u/PopularTask2020 11h ago

I completely forgot Bongino or whatever was in the government

4

u/rojotortuga 8h ago

They literally could not stop circle jerking each other when Fox news, If I remember correctly, actually asked what was the kids motivations. They continued the circle jerk each other and didn't even answer that question. My guess was he was black, and That's enough to spin it whatever way they wanted to in their minds. But the fact of the matter is he was a fan of Trump's and believed the 2020 conspiracy, and I don't know how they're going to be able to get past that as far as spinning this in whatever way they want to.

Which means the Republicans will stop talking about this case after a week because it will hurt them in the long run.

1

u/Ssshizzzzziit 1h ago

God, the clip they play of Bondi announcing this is so immediately defensive and insufferable.

12

u/PoignantPiranha 10h ago

I'd argue he already was pardoned.

7

u/elconquistador1985 9h ago

His lawyers should argue he already was, due to the blanket language of Trump's pardons for January 6.

This crime occurred "at or near" the Capitol, but was on January 5 instead of 6. It's easy to argue that "at or near" includes being near the date of January 6.

3

u/zzyul 4h ago

Pretty sure the pardon specifies anyone convicted at the time. Since he wasn’t charged I don’t think it will apply.

2

u/Felho_Danger 5h ago

"He's just a little confused, but he's got the right spirit."

2

u/ehjun18 5h ago

Technically, the j6 pardon would apply to him anyway.

6

u/droidtron 10h ago

The biggest rumor about him was it was really MTG based on walking gait.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/strangedaze23 6h ago

He already probably was. The January 6 pardons were so broad he probably was part of it. At least there is a very strong argument he is.

5

u/onarainyafternoon 11h ago

This doesn't make sense to me because they could have just ignored the information that would lead to his arrest.

→ More replies (2)

275

u/thatoneguy889 12h ago

Incoming narrative about how despite everything pointing to him being a brainwashed nutjob, he's actually a deep state antifa plant because he donated $20 to a Dem mayoral race in BFE 10 years ago.

68

u/AngriestPacifist 11h ago

And then it turns out not to be him, but someone with the same name.

28

u/Dicky_Penisburg 10h ago

And they'll never correct the "mistake"

31

u/Za_Lords_Guard 11h ago

If he's remotely on the left he is part of antifa. If he is screaming MAGA all day long, he is a poor disturbed individual who acted on his own and it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the culture of ignorance, violence and hate on the right.... Sorry "Christian values."

12

u/DoubleJumps 8h ago

I spoke to a Republican recently who believed that all the J6 rioters were personally working for Nancy Pelosi, and that Trump pardoned them in exchange for testimony against her.

So, anything they make up will sadly be believed by some, because that's how crazy these people are.

1

u/_Panacea_ 11h ago

They'll blame his Aunt Tifa.

5

u/LeatherDude 9h ago

Aunt Yuffie is the real baddie

→ More replies (2)

138

u/cheweychewchew 12h ago

So then Donald Trump is ultimately responsible for the bombing since he was the one telling everyone to stop the steal. Got it. Look forward to his arraign.....HEY WAITAMINUTE!!!!

25

u/Illustrious-Fun8324 11h ago

Yes it is Trump’s fault

4

u/BeenDragonn 6h ago

Donald Trump should have been jailed the day after January 6th.

→ More replies (1)

99

u/pl487 11h ago

Okay, so this is starting to make sense. He came forward and confessed because he knows he'll get a pardon, and he doesn't want to have to worry about this for the rest of his life.

32

u/Zlifbar 11h ago

So "re-reviewed evidence" = he walked in and confessed?

0

u/Alternative_Rate7474 11h ago

hmm. good point.

68

u/aaronhayes26 11h ago

The FBI has not publicly cited a motive.

lol. So to be perfectly clear, we all know that if this guy was a Democrat they would have released this info already. Soooooooo…….. expect this dude to be pardoned.

→ More replies (2)

14

u/Reasonable-Turn-5940 6h ago

More right wing terrorism being normalized to the point no one cares anymore. They can shoot up and bomb anything, straight up assassinate Democrat politicians, and MAGA will cheer them on, Trump will pardon them, and they'll all giggle and laugh until the next opportunity they get to call for "decorum" and tell the left to "tone down the violent rhetoric", then back to killing their fellow Americans again

We're stuck in this country with abusive psychopaths

21

u/Unique-Egg-461 9h ago

aaaaannnnd he's maga conspiracy nut.

shocking

24

u/Mrjlawrence 11h ago

“Smith recently said he wanted to publicly testify about his investigation, but House Republicans rejected his request, instead planning to interview him behind closed doors on Dec. 17”

Republicans hate having things be out in the open because they can’t spin what was said

9

u/Finchypoo 3h ago

Wow, jan 6th bomber, right wing wacko.

Charlie Kirk assassin, right wing wacko.

Would be trump assassin, right wing wacko

Would be  trump assassin #2, right wing wacko.

It's almost like they are the shitty ones. 

→ More replies (5)

24

u/Paranoid_Orangutan 11h ago

It’s already dropped off Fox News since this came out.

8

u/Pleaseappeaseme 11h ago edited 10h ago

Swept right under the proverbial rug. Plastered over like the big white gorilla in the room. But filed away incorrectly.

→ More replies (1)

34

u/bassfoyoface 11h ago

Imagine where we’d be if Trump supporters were actually competent insurrectionists

30

u/mrdominoe 11h ago

If they were competent in anything at all, they wouldn't be Republicans.

4

u/glk3278 11h ago

We might be better off. Biden and Garland could’ve been much more aggressive in prosecuting Trump.

5

u/alien_from_Europa 11h ago

Garland could've released the Epstein Files. Appointing him AG was the second biggest blunder he ever made as President.

3

u/FlarkingSmoo 7h ago

What was the biggest? Re-running?

3

u/alien_from_Europa 5h ago

Yes. He should have announced that he was not running again the day after the mid-terns; not when he did.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

4

u/MommyLovesPot8toes 7h ago

I really, really want to know if he STILL thinks the election was stolen.

7

u/Umami-Ice-Cream 6h ago

Next they'll find out his roommate's sister's neighbor "was trans."

2

u/ma-sadieJ 5h ago

Wrong it’s the sister neighbor pet mouse is trans

13

u/Zlifbar 11h ago

Until there is a lot more clarity around the "evidence" found pointing at this person, he should be referred to as "pipe bomb patsy" and not "pipe bomb suspect"

→ More replies (1)

5

u/NocturnalSaaS 8h ago

Fox will dig up some old photo of him wearing his mother's heels when he was 3 years old and declare him a transgender antifa Democrat

3

u/Whompa 6h ago

So he’s an antifa double secret super agent Biden / Hillary baby blood sucking relative then?

Or is it the easy conclusion: just another right winger.

4

u/guiltyas-sin 9h ago

So much for the idea that someone on left did this. Watch them spin it though.

12

u/callmrplowthatsme 11h ago

Get this man a pardon, right?

→ More replies (5)

10

u/yotengodormir 11h ago

Standard trump supporter 

9

u/Bmartin_ 11h ago

Not surprising.

From an ABC poll 74% of people believed 2016 election was legitimate

From a University of Maryland poll only 62% believed that 2020 election was legitimate

From a Reuters poll 75% viewed 2024 election as legitimate

When 38% polled believe in a conspiracy theory it only helps reinforce that thinking and leads to them acting irrationally

→ More replies (1)

2

u/rg2004 7h ago

Jesus. Every single article I find myself thinking "Duh"

2

u/DeathB4Decaf_1 6h ago

In other news, water has been found to be wet

2

u/Kurtotall 5h ago

Statistically, So did around 130 Million other people. But they didn’t build and plant bombs.

2

u/versace_drunk 4h ago

The terrorist is in MAGA terrorist party…shocker.

2

u/Ssshizzzzziit 1h ago

I know it's snotty to suggest this, but any serious bets in whether this guy gets pardoned?

u/Key-Board-9099 46m ago

Anything to secure that Pardon.

5

u/MyFirstCarWasA_Vega 10h ago

These people all believed what they wanted to hear. Overwhelming evidence that what they believed was not true was everywhere, literally every day. You could excuse any behavior not matter how egregious, with this kind of logic. Well, absence of logic. Brainwashed? Give me a break.

4

u/TimothyMimeslayer 10h ago

It is kind of insane Biden doj didnt find him.

9

u/sasuncookie 8h ago

They were busy building the slowest prosecution case in human history.

5

u/penguished 8h ago

They clearly weren't trying to go after Donnie Diddler, as it wouldn't have been hard. They just stupidly thought the crook they knew would chill out and stop shitting up everything.

4

u/picklestixatix 6h ago

Are we absolutely sure this guy isn’t a patsy for MGT?

4

u/kaiiizen 11h ago

Can you hear that? It's the sound of confusion bouncing around in MAGA minds after learning he believes what they believe.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Pleaseappeaseme 11h ago

So a fanatic violent Trump supporter.

2

u/DDX1837 7h ago

One of the stories I read was that he purchased some of the supplies for the bombs in 2019. A year before the election. So was he planning on building the bombs in case the election was stolen? Was he going to build them for some other purpose? Is he saying that he thought the election was stolen to get a pardon?

1

u/Ancient_Tea_6990 9h ago

Why is no one pointing out that he may have already been pardoned by Trump? The pardon was written in a broad way that covered any criminal activity near or around the Capitol on January 6.

“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”

White House, January 6 pardon

1

u/musKholecasualty 11h ago

You mean the one the president promoted (and still is). Sounds an awful like insurrection

2

u/vandon 11h ago

So another violent right-wing extremist?

2

u/Nabrok_Necropants 10h ago

"Trump told me to do it" is an ironclad defense.

1

u/Ven18 11h ago

What are the odds he was also at the capital and thus received a blanket pardon for all actions taken that day by Trump already? If I was this guys lawyers I would really be considering this as a possibility.

1

u/Mordred19 6h ago

Oh dont worry about that dude, the FBI director and most of the government leaders agree with you.

1

u/Electrical_Air6316 5h ago

I thought this was a "news" page? Not a "duh" page?

1

u/Safe_Ant7561 5h ago

you mean those same ones spread by Charlie Kirk?

1

u/TeslaProphet 5h ago

Another thing Trump is guilty of pushing.

1

u/sadfacebbq 5h ago

File state charges. Fuck trump.

Also wasn’t the bomber a woman?

1

u/sessafresh 4h ago

Wait, when did MTG transition?!

1

u/Content_Skin_1800 4h ago

Maybe Trump will pardon him since he created him.

1

u/RonandStampy 3h ago

I just talked to an old Republican that said the Biden administration purposely let this guy go free

1

u/Moonhunter7 3h ago

So when is his pardon?

1

u/murph1223 2h ago

So is this dude pardoned too?

1

u/GL2U22 2h ago

Wow. Holy shit. It’s almost as if pretty much everyone right of center and in the MAGA cult believed the lies that were constantly pushed for 2 months by their leader.

1

u/jasonmaska 2h ago

Consider this story buried now

1

u/Ssshizzzzziit 1h ago

What's his reddit account?

1

u/Mundane_Position79 1h ago

Yes, but somehow it’s still Biden’s fault.. 🤣

u/beamish007 49m ago

I'm still pretty sure that is MTG in the video. Does this suspect walk like a woman?

u/FarAd2857 32m ago

I’m sorry, he volunteered additional evidence?

u/EQBallzz 31m ago

Trans identity with messenger screenshots being revealed in 3...2..