Cellular carriers have informed Congress that they possess intact phone usage data from the area where two pipe bombs were planted at the Capitol on January 6, contradicting FBI claims that corrupted data prevented identification of a suspect.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., chairman of the House Administration oversight subcommittee, revealed these findings, intensifying scrutiny on why the FBI has been unable to solve a case that has lingered for nearly four years.
“In the days and weeks following January 6, 2021, the FBI opened an investigation into the pipe bomber and attempted to identify the suspect by analyzing cell phone data linked to the area surrounding the RNC and DNC,” Loudermilk explained. “In June 2023, the former Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Steve D’Antuono, stated that the FBI received corrupted data from one of the cell carriers, which might have contained the identity of the pipe bomber. Given the significance, my subcommittee contacted major cell carriers, asking them to address D’Antuono’s claims.”
According to Loudermilk, the carriers confirmed they did not provide corrupted data and stated they were never informed of any issues accessing the data. “This contradictory testimony raises serious questions about the status of the investigation and why the case remains unsolved nearly four years later,” Loudermilk said.
In prior testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, D’Antuono claimed that a “complete geofence” was conducted but certain data was corrupted, preventing a full search. “Not complete, because there’s some data that was corrupted by one of the providers, not purposely by them…just unusual circumstance,” he said during a transcribed interview.
D’Antuono, who stepped down from his FBI position in late 2022, did not provide an immediate comment on the matter. The lingering questions surrounding the unsolved pipe bombs have been amplified by Loudermilk’s disclosures over the past year, including evidence that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was brought within 10 yards of one of the live bombs on January 6 due to an incomplete security sweep by the Secret Service.
Loudermilk also shared security footage and photos showing the suspect holding what appeared to be a cell phone, making phone data potentially critical in solving the case. He has pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray in a letter to clarify whether D’Antuono’s claims about corrupted data were accurate and whether the bureau sought a new set of uncorrupted data from carriers. Just the News obtained a copy of the letter, which demands answers on whether the FBI informed carriers of any data issues.
Despite having photographic and video evidence of the suspect, the FBI has yet to identify or locate the individual. A $500,000 reward remains available for information leading to the suspect, but the FBI has declined to comment on the investigation. Concerns about the bureau’s handling of the case, raised by House Republicans, stem from D’Antuono’s testimony regarding data issues, the failure to determine if the pipe bombs were intended as a diversion, and whether key witnesses were properly interviewed. Additionally, D’Antuono’s statements conflicted with the FBI laboratory’s conclusion that the bombs were operable.
