The Department of Justice announces the arrest of a suspect who allegedly laid pipe bombs on the eve of January 6, 2021. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Early last month, Glenn Beck’s right-wing outlet The Blaze published an explosive investigation alleging that the long-elusive Jan. 6 pipe bombing suspect was a former U.S. Capitol Police officer. The Blaze identified her by name, published several photographs of her, and offered a sprawling narrative tying her to a supposed effort to frame Donald Trump supporters for the events surrounding Jan. 6. Reporter Steve Baker, who himself was arrested and pleaded guilty for joining the attack on the Capitol, billed his story on X as potentially “the biggest scandal and conspiracy in American history.”
The story framed its claim as a near certainty, hinging on what it described as a “forensic gait analysis” that supposedly matched the woman’s walking pattern to the pipe bomb suspect, evidence that it claimed “pointed toward law enforcement possibly being involved in the planting of the pipe bombs.” And it went further, asserting that if confirmed, the revelation “could recast the entire story of Jan. 6” and unravel the “carefully crafted, zealously defended Democrat narrative” that Trump supporters had violently stormed the Capitol.
The story quickly ricocheted around right-wing media. MAGA congressman Rep. Thomas Massie and others amplified the story on Elon Musk’s X, demanding answers and suggesting a broader conspiracy. Baker’s tweet alone suggesting a “scandal” drew more than 16 million views on the platform before later receiving a Community Note undermining the claim.
But what the story actually illustrated was the ease with which flimsy evidence can be deployed to serve a preordained narrative. Almost immediately after the story published, journalists raised serious questions about the methods used to identify the woman. The Blaze’s reporting relied on a grab bag of dubious techniques, including speculative gait analysis conducted by a shadowy online figure known only as Armitas, supposed confirmation from “intelligence sources,” and leaps of inference that would not survive basic editorial scrutiny at a reputable outlet. But perhaps most notably, the piece did not include a comment from the woman it had identified as the likely pipe bomber, or even the suggestion it had attempted to contact her prior to publication.
As officials offered oblique denials of the story’s claims and key details failed to add up, The Blaze attempted to quietly cover its tracks. The story underwent several rounds of stealth edits, with key assertions softened or removed entirely. At one point, the claim that the woman had protected a senior intelligence official was downgraded to her merely working “on CIA grounds.” Small editor’s notes were appended to the bottom, glossing over significant changes while the story—and the woman’s photo—remained online.
The woman, through her attorney Steve Bunnell, flatly denied the allegations in a statement. “These shameful accusations are recklessly false, absurd, and defamatory,” her lawyer said, warning that The Blaze’s conduct had inflicted serious harm and, perhaps, foreshadowing legal action. Representatives for The Blaze did not respond to numerous requests for comment from Status.
Then, on Thursday, the entire narrative collapsed. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that the FBI had arrested a suspect: a 30-year-old Virginia man named Brian Cole Jr. According to court filings, investigators connected Cole to the devices through security camera footage, location data, and the purchase of materials used to construct the bombs.
Cole was not a former U.S. Capitol Police officer. He is believed to be a Trump supporter who had fallen under the delusion that Trump had won the 2020 election.
Following the arrest, The Blaze quietly removed its story, scrubbing the woman’s photos, and replacing the article with a retraction notice. The outlet acknowledged that the story “did not meet our standards of fairness and accuracy”—a striking understatement given the severity of its accusations and the damage inflicted.
How the former police officer ultimately became the subject of the high-profile accusation remains unclear. Last week, CBS News reported the woman’s identity had first surfaced among Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s staff after it “received a tip from a person affiliated with a media organization.” The staff drafted a memo with her name that was circulated among Trump administration officials.
Regardless, the episode is the latest reminder of how influential facets of right-wing media continue to distort the public’s understanding of Jan. 6. The incentive structure that produced the false claims about Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic—and cost Fox News a staggering $787 million settlement—is alive and well. Conspiracy-laden narratives about 2020 and Jan. 6 still generate enormous engagement on platforms like X, even when they crumble under modest scrutiny.
Now, The Blaze may find itself on the receiving end of the same legal and reputational consequences that have ensnared others. It pursued a story designed to validate a preferred narrative. And in doing so, it set itself on fire.
