Brian Cole Jr., who is charged with planting pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol, and his lawyers now claim he is protected by President Donald Trump’s sweeping Jan. 6 pardon.

These charges involve alleged use of explosives placed near major political institutions — actions that could have caused mass harm. Now, there is an attempt to stretch a broad pardon meant for Jan. 6-related offenses to cover conduct that occurred before the attack and involved serious public safety risks.

No matter your politics, Americans agree that serious charges involving alleged bomb plots must be fully investigated and prosecuted through the justice system. Expanding a pardon to cover cases like this would raise serious concerns about accountability and the limits of executive power.

We call on President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Justice, and federal courts

to clarify the pardon does not apply to him

and to ensure that presidential pardons are not used to block accountability in cases involving acts of violence or explosives.

Sign this petition to say clearly: No pardon for Brian Cole Jr. Justice must come first.

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