CNN anchor Jake Tapper has faced intense criticism and mockery after he mistakenly referred to a black man suspected of placing pipe bombs in Washington DC on the eve of the January 6 riots as a 'white man'.
The On-Air Blunder and Immediate Backlash
The embarrassing error occurred during the opening segment of Tapper's show, The Lead, on Thursday evening. As surveillance footage of the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr., played behind him, Tapper described the individual as a 'white man'.
Moments after the remark, CNN itself became the first news outlet to publish a second photograph of the alleged suspect, sourced from his mother's Instagram account. The image clearly showed Cole Jr. is a black man.
The gaffe did not go unnoticed. Conservative commentator Nick Sortor posted the clip on X, formerly Twitter, with Cole Jr.'s face superimposed, writing: 'WTF?! Jake Tapper just went out of his way to LIE and call the J6 pipe bomb[er] a 'white man'.' He accused CNN of pushing 'anti-white rhetoric'.
Phil Holloway, co-host of Megyn Kelly's True Crime podcast, also weighed in, stating: 'Fake Tapper strikes again!' He questioned how Tapper maintains his job as a journalist, arguing that while the suspect's race was irrelevant, CNN had chosen to lie about it.
Who is the suspect, Brian Cole Jr.?
Federal authorities allege that Brian Cole Jr., a man said to hold anarchist ideologies, placed homemade explosive devices outside the headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican National Committees on the night of January 5, 2021.
His arrest on Thursday marked a major breakthrough in an investigation that had baffled the FBI for five years. The breakthrough came after agents reviewed existing evidence from 2021 and 2022, including previously unreleased footage.
Surveillance video shows a hooded suspect placing a backpack on South Capitol Street before donning glasses and scanning the area. The individual then walked to the DNC headquarters, placing a bomb at 7:54pm, and later to the RNC headquarters, placing a second device at 8:16pm.
The suspect, whose identity remained a mystery for years, wore a face mask, glasses, a grey hoodie, gloves, and distinctive Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes.
Investigators state the bombs were constructed from threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers, and homemade black powder. They allege Cole began gathering materials for the crude devices as early as 2019, shopping at hardware stores and retailers like Walmart.
Legal Context and Family Background
Adding a further layer to the story, Cole Jr.'s father, Brian Cole Sr., was once represented by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump, known for specialising in racial discrimination cases, argued in a 2021 lawsuit that a Tennessee prosecutor was blocking the sale of the elder Cole's bail bond business because he is black.
Brian Cole Jr. now faces federal charges of use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.
The devices were discovered the following day, January 6, 2021, just hours before crowds of Donald Trump's supporters descended on the Capitol. US Capitol Police and FBI agents were called to the RNC at 12.45pm, and a second call came in for a similar device at the DNC around 30 minutes later. Fortunately, neither bomb detonated and no injuries were reported.
The incident has fuelled ongoing debates about media accuracy and bias. As one critic noted online, such errors contribute to a growing distrust of mainstream media outlets. Daily Mail has approached CNN for comment regarding Tapper's misstatement.
