In a recent broadcast blunder, CNN anchor Jake Tapper mistakenly identified a black suspect as a “white man” in the ongoing investigation of pipe bombs found in Washington D.C. on January 6. The error occurred during the opening of Thursday evening’s segment on The Lead, when a surveillance photo of suspect Brian Cole Jr. appeared on screen. Shortly after, CNN became the first news outlet to release a second, clearer photo from Cole Jr.’s mother’s Instagram, confirming that the 30-year-old is indeed black. Interestingly, Cole Jr.’s father, Brian Cole Sr., has been represented by notable civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, known for handling racial discrimination cases.

In 2021, Ben Crump argued that Rutherford County Assistant District Attorney John Zimmerman was preventing the sale of Brian Cole Sr.’s Tennessee bond business due to racial bias, as reported by the New York Post. Tapper’s mistake left many viewers shocked and some accused him of intentional falsehood. Nick Sorter, a conservative influencer, reacted on social media platform X, claiming Tapper deliberately lied and criticized CNN for promoting “anti-white rhetoric.”

Phil Holloway, co-host on Megyn Kelly’s True Crime podcast, also weighed in, dubbing Tapper “Fake Tapper.” Holloway remarked that although the suspect’s race is irrelevant, CNN falsely reported it, questioning Tapper’s role as a journalist. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson joined the criticism, while others called Tapper a “fraud” and accused him of habitual deception. One viewer expressed frustration with mainstream media, noting that errors like Tapper’s contribute to her distrust, especially when racial identification seems selectively omitted or misrepresented.

Federal authorities have claimed Cole, who is said to have anarchist ideologies, laid homemade explosives outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters on the night of January 5, 2021. His arrest on Thursday marked the first major breakthrough in the five-year investigation that had baffled the agency and sparked a wave of conspiracy theories. But it only came after the FBI reviewed existing evidence it had collected in 2021 and 2022, including previously unreleased footage of the perp stalking the streets of Washington DC the night before the infamous riots.

In the surveillance footage, a hooded suspect could be seen setting down a backpack on South Capitol Street, before putting on a pair of glasses and scanning their surrounds for witnesses and walking off. The suspect then walked to the nearby DNC headquarters, where a bomb was placed at 7:54pm. Surveillance then showed the suspect walking to the RNC headquarters and placing a bomb at 8:16pm, and he was last seen on video two minutes later – leaving investigators baffled over their true identity. The suspect wore a face mask, glasses, a grey hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and black and light grey Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes with a yellow logo.

The explosive devices planted outside the two buildings in the Capitol Hill neighborhood were located the next day, just hours before hordes of Donald Trump supporters descended on Washington DC to protest the 2020 election results. US Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were first called to the RNC’s office at 12.45pm on January 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the DNC headquarters nearby.

Fortunately, neither bomb was detonated and no injuries were reported. Officials said the homemade bombs were constructed out of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers and homemade black powder. Authorities now claim Cole began constructing the crude bombs as early as 2019. They allege that he shopped at major hardware stores and mass retailers like Walmart to collect the necessary supplies – and continued purchasing bomb-making components even after the two pipe bombs were found in the nation’s capital. Cole is facing charges of use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials for the alleged plot. Daily Mail has reached out to CNN for comment.