Vice President Kamala Harris was inside the building when a pipe bomb was discovered outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Jan. 6, 2021, according to multiple reports.
Four sources told Politico that her whereabouts, which have long been something of a mystery, in a report published on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot.
To this day, the FBI is still working to identify the person or people responsible for placing the explosive device there and one near the Republican Party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the night of Jan. 5, 2021.
“Both devices were viable and could have been detonated, resulting in serious injury or death. The #FBI and [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for info. leading to the location, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the placement of the bombs,” the bureau said in a tweet Thursday.
#FBIWFO asks the public to go to our website to view the photos, map, and videos and see if you recognize anything about this person: https://t.co/946jU0n3qJ. If you have any information – please call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit https://t.co/t8G7LO4hxu. 3/3 pic.twitter.com/Fivx3lxDXj
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) January 6, 2022
PIPE BOMB PLANTER STILL UNIDENTIFIED ONE YEAR AFTER CAPITOL RIOT
Officials were able to neutralize the bomb near the DNC shortly after it was discovered. The pipe bomb discovered outside the Republican National Committee headquarters on the same day was also neutralized.
Capitol Police began investigating the pipe bomb near the DNC headquarters at 1:07 p.m. on Jan. 6, according to documents obtained by Politico. The Secret Service evacuated a “protectee” at 1:14 p.m. The person evacuated was not named in the documents.
Harris was still serving as a U.S. senator from California on Jan. 6 when hundreds of rioters stormed the Capitol and disrupted the certification of her and President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. The Justice Department quietly started correcting court filings in Capitol riot-related cases in November to note that Harris was not present in the Capitol during the attack but that “she was present earlier in the day and was present later that day.”
In an address at the Capitol on Thursday, Harris acknowledged that she did leave the building.
“I had left. But my thoughts immediately turned not only to my colleagues but to my staff, who had been forced to seek refuge in our office, converting filing cabinets into barricades,” she said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Officials caution that the Capitol’s security is still subpar one year after the riot. The Capitol Police Board released a report this week that said the building “is not yet secure enough to withstand future attacks.”
