Sen. Johnson asks Secret Service how agents missed pipe bomb outside of DNC on Jan. 6

Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Wednesday asked the U.S. Secret Service director why agents did not find a suspicious pipe bomb reportedly placed outside of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters during a sweep of the area before Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived there on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Given that Secret Service reportedly swept the areas in and around the DNC headquarters prior to Harris’ arrival on January 6, 2021, it seems odd that agents did not immediately discover the pipe bomb that was reportedly located next to a park bench at that location," Johnson wrote to Secret Service Director James Murray.

The FBI stated that one bomb was placed near the DNC, and another bomb was put near the Republican National Committee headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

The Secret Service swept the DNC prior to Harris' 11:30 a.m. arrival the following day, a source told CNN.

Harris was evacuated from the DNC shortly after 1:00 p.m. when Capitol Police began investigating a pipe bomb there.

Sen. Johnson, ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asked Murray when the Secret Service sweep occurred and in what part of the DNC headquarters.

He then asked the director why the bomb "next to a park bench" by the DNC was not discovered.

Johnson concluded by asking Murray if the Secret Service had "conducted an internal review" of the potential security lapse and if the potential security problem had been referred to the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general.

Harris's motorcade also reportedly drove right past the pipe bomb before she entered the building. Authorities have released videos of a suspect, but no arrests have been announced.