House Republicans call for clarity in stalled FBI investigation into January 6 pipe bombs

House Republicans, headed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), are challenging the FBI to stop putting off lawmakers who are seeking critical information on the January 6 pipe bomb investigation.

On Wednesday, a letter addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed concern that the Bureau has not sufficiently responded to requests for a briefing, stressing the need for immediate corrective action, the Daily Wire reported.

More than two years have passed since an unidentified suspect, only visible as a hooded figure with a backpack in surveillance footage, allegedly planted a pair of pipe bombs near the offices of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., on the evening of January 5, 2021 – a shocking event that occurred just one night prior to the Capitol riot.

The FBI confirmed to the media that its investigation remains ongoing and is considered a high-priority case. In a bid to expedite the probe, the reward for crucial information was raised to $500,000 in January. The Bureau continues to appeal to the public for any information that could assist their investigation.

The FBI’s online bulletin notes the gravity of the situation, stating that even though the planted bombs did not detonate, the suspect posed a potential risk to residential and commercial areas in Capitol Hill, dangerously close to the U.S. Capitol, with live pipe bombs. The suspect could still pose a threat to public safety.

Jordan, with the support of Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Bill Posey (R-FL), noted that Congress' demands stem from a whistleblower revelation about a D.C.-based initiative to instruct FBI field offices nationwide to probe all confidential sources for information regarding the suspect.

The representatives expressed their concerns arising from a Washington Times report that quoted a former FBI official. The official alleged that the retrieved devices were non-functional and that the bureau had linked the suspect to a D.C. MetroRail SmarTrip card and a car's license plate, as captured by a security camera at a Northern Virginia Metro stop.

The lawmakers underlined in their letter:

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.

They reiterated their call for a briefing on the investigation's status, urging the Bureau to provide it as soon as possible, but certainly no later than June 7, 2023.