For five years, the “Jan. 6 Pipe Bomber” was a silent specter—a grainy figure in a grey hoodie who represented the unknown threat lurking at the edges of American politics. Now, with the confession of Brian Cole Jr., the ghost has a voice, and what he is saying is perhaps more disturbing than any partisan conspiracy theory.
According to new court filings announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, Cole has admitted to planting the live explosives outside the RNC and DNC headquarters. But his stated motive defies the neat “Red vs. Blue” narrative that has defined the post-Jan. 6 era. Cole wasn’t just attacking the opposition; he was attacking the system itself.
[Image: surveillance footage of the pipe bomb suspect walking near a park bench]
“I Really Don’t Like Either Party”
The confession reveals a deep, boiling frustration with the entire political apparatus. While Cole expressed sympathy with claims that the 2020 election was stolen, his rage was omnidirectional.
“The defendant wanted to do something ‘to the parties’ because ‘they were in charge,’” prosecutors wrote. “When asked why he placed the devices at the RNC and DNC, the defendant responded, ‘I really don’t like either party at this point.’”
This sentiment—that “something just snapped” after watching “everything getting worse”—speaks to a dangerous strain of nihilism. It suggests that for some, the enemy is not a specific ideology, but the institutions of governance themselves. By targeting both headquarters, Cole was physically manifesting the “plague on both your houses” mentality, but with lethal intent.
The Northern Ireland Connection
Perhaps the most chilling detail in the prosecutors’ memo is the source of Cole’s inspiration. He allegedly told investigators that the idea to use pipe bombs stemmed from his interest in the “historical conflict in Northern Ireland.”
This reference to “The Troubles”—a period of sectarian violence defined by car bombings and urban guerrilla warfare—indicates that Cole viewed his actions as part of a low-level insurgency. He wasn’t just a disgruntled voter; he saw himself as a soldier in a war against the establishment.
[Image: Brian J. Cole Jr. sketch or mugshot]
The “Perfect” Suspect for a Divided Era
The confession complicates the political utilization of the pipe bomb case. For years, the Left used the bomber as proof of right-wing domestic terrorism, while the Right used the FBI’s failure to catch him as proof of a “Deep State” cover-up or a false flag.
Cole’s confession offers little comfort to either side. He is neither a pure partisan warrior nor a government plant. He appears to be a radicalized individual who believed that the only way to “calm things down”—a paradoxical justification for bombing—was to strike at the people “up top.”
As Cole’s attorneys prepare to fight his detention, the justice system must now process a defendant who admits he wanted to blow up the machinery of democracy because he felt it was broken. It is a stark reminder that the greatest threat to the republic may not be organized partisanship, but the disorganized, violent despair of the alienated citizen.