On Thursday, the FBI tried to put out another political wildfire. After a right-wing news site accused a former Capitol Police officer of being the January 6 pipe bomber, the bureau called the claims “grossly inaccurate and [misleading to] the public.”
Not familiar with the latest episode of the never-ending Jan. 6 conspiracy? We’ve got a recap for you. Conservative outlet The Blaze published a story naming a former Capitol Police officer (who now works in campus security at the CIA) as the alleged individual who planted pipe bombs near the RNC and DNC headquarters the night before the Capitol riot. The article relied on what it called a “gait analysis,” claiming the suspect’s walk was a 94% match to the officer. Yes, they broke the investigation down to walking patterns.
The theory spread across X (formerly Twitter) by Rep. Thomas Massie, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, and influencers who wanted the “deep state did Jan. 6” narrative. But the evidence collapsed under its own weight!
Apparently, the FBI has now cleared the person identified by the Blaze as potentially being the Jan. 6 pipe bomber.
According to CBS News, the person identified by the Blaze has an alibi: video of her playing with her puppies at the time the devices were placed.
You can’t make… pic.twitter.com/sClXfccX1H
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) November 26, 2025
The FBI explained in a letter to Loudermilk that it had been tracking an entirely different person, who was just photographed near the RNC on January 5, took the Metro home using a friend’s SmartTrip card, and lives next to the officer named by The Blaze.
The accused officer is not being named since there is zero credible evidence linking them to the bombs. NBC News said that they have been “falsely accused [on social media] of involvement in the placement of pipe bombs.” The officer’s attorney described the allegations to the Washington Post as “recklessly false, absurd, and defamatory.” None of this has stopped the rumor mill, though. The Blaze story fit into the theory that the Capitol Hill attack was planned by federal agents and not a mob of Donald Trump supporters.
But soon enough, Massie said he “can’t vouch for every detail.” Snopes notes that The Blaze report has not been verified and that the forensic gait analysis it relies on (which isn’t publicly available) came from unnamed sources.
Meanwhile, the actual investigation continues, as the FBI has said identifying the bomber is a priority and that a reward of up to $500,000 is still available for information leading to an arrest. The FBI is transparent about where that leaves things.
