Loudermilk: 'Many unanswered questions' surrounding Jan. 6 pipe bombs, no update from FBI on probe

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, said there are "many unanswered questions" surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 pipe bombs that were discovered near the U.S. Capitol building.

"Despite the suspect’s appearance on numerous USCP CCTV cameras, and the FBI’s efforts interviewing over 800 individuals and assessing more than 300 tips, the suspect remains at large," he said at the hearing on Tuesday titled, Three Years Later: Assessing the Law Enforcement Response to Multiple Pipe Bombs on January 6, 2021.

Unfortunately, FBI has failed to provide substantive updates on the investigation despite numerous requests from congressional committees. Today, they have declined to participate in our hearing," he added.

Loudermilk said the Jan. 6 select hardly touched upon the pipe bombs in their final report.

"Their investigation into the pipe bomb was basically non-existent," he said, noting that the final report mentioned the pipe bomb incident 5 times.

Ranking Member Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., said the pipe bomb incident is an ongoing investigation. She questioned why the subcommittee is holding the hearing.

Loudermilk played a video that showed pedestrians walking by the package with the pipe bomb inside after law enforcement had discovered it was there.

In response to the video footage, Barry Black, an explosive device expert and former FBI official, acknowledged that the law enforcement response to the pipe bomb put people in danger. 

Torres said that Democratic members of the subcommittee should have been provided the video footage prior to the hearing for review.