Cellular companies have informed Congress that they have preserved phone usage data from the area where two pipe bombs were placed during the January 6 incident. This contradicts FBI testimony that claimed agents could not identify a suspect due to corrupted phone data, according to Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., chairman of the House Administration oversight subcommittee.
Loudermilk explained, “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.” He added that former Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Steve D’Antuono, had said that corrupted data from a cell carrier likely contained the identity of the bomber. In response, Loudermilk’s subcommittee reached out to major cell carriers regarding this claim.
“Every major cell carrier responded and confirmed that they did not provide the FBI corrupted data,” Loudermilk said. Furthermore, these carriers indicated they were never informed by the FBI about any issues accessing their data. This conflicting information raises questions about why this case remains unsolved nearly four years later.
D’Antuono had previously testified before Congress that some phone data was incomplete due to corruption from one provider. Despite photographic and video evidence of a suspect being available, no arrest has been made. A $500,000 reward for information about the suspect is still offered by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The concerns are amplified by evidence showing then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was taken close to one of these live bombs on January 6 without proper security sweeps being conducted by Secret Service. Loudermilk has demanded answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray regarding whether D’Antuono’s testimony was accurate and if efforts were made to retrieve uncorrupted data from carriers.
The FBI declined to comment on this ongoing investigation.
