A Tennessee congressman says something about the investigation into the January 6 pipe bombs never smelled right, and he is not backing down.
Rep. Tim Burchett, re-elected even as Democrats won control of the House, told The Gateway Pundit that the case "stunk from day one." He said the handling of the devices lacked normal procedure from the moment they were discovered.
"When somebody comes running up to you and says, 'Hey, there's something over here,' and the police don't get out of their car, hardly," Burchett said. "That whole thing just stunk. That stunk from day one."
The Republican was even more direct about Brian Cole Jr., the autistic man the FBI charged with planting the devices outside the RNC and DNC on the evening of January 5, 2021. "It's ridiculous. I don't think we're getting justice with that," Burchett said.
"I think that's a cover up of many cover ups that occur up here," he continued. Burchett added that "somebody had to be" involved besides the person who placed the alleged bombs.
Cole, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested in December 2025 and remains in pretrial detention on terrorism-related explosives charges. He has pleaded not guilty, and defense filings note his autism diagnosis and lack of criminal history.
Newly surfaced Capitol CCTV footage allegedly places Cole on the northwest side of the complex at the precise moment the hooded suspect was on the southeast side planting the devices. The two locations are more than a mile apart.
Measurements taken from the footage indicate the hooded individual wore roughly a size 9 to 9.5 shoe. Cole's shoe size is 12 to 12.5, a gap that is difficult to explain away.
The FBI previously estimated the suspect's height at about 5 feet 7 inches. Some observers have long argued that the suspect's build and stride appear female.
Prosecutors say Cole confessed after first denying any involvement. The defense has moved to suppress those statements and has signaled it may argue that someone else committed the crime.
National outlets covered Cole's arrest extensively. Follow-up reporting on the CCTV location discrepancy and the shoe-size mismatch, however, has stayed largely confined to independent media.
Most members of Congress contacted about the case say they know little about it and refer questions to the House January 6 subcommittee. Sen. Ted Cruz, asked about the latest forensic developments, said he had not seen them.
That silence makes Burchett's remarks stand out. They are among the few on-record statements from a sitting member of Congress questioning the official account.
Cole's trial is set to begin February 16, 2027. Large portions of the Capitol CCTV footage remain unreleased.
With Republicans preparing to hand the gavel to the incoming Democratic majority, the remaining footage is unlikely ever to be made public. The footage does not appear to match the man charged, the trial date is set, and the rest of the tape is still sealed.
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