U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s pardons for individuals charged in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot do not extend to Brian J. Cole Jr., a Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs near Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters prior to the attack.
In his decision, Ali determined that Cole was neither charged nor convicted at the time Trump issued the pardons, which were granted on the first day of the president’s second term. The clemency order—commuting prison sentences and dismissing cases for more than 1,500 individuals linked to the Jan. 6 events—did not cover Cole.
The ruling allows prosecutors to proceed with their case against Cole despite Trump’s broad pardoning action.
