Name: Patel: Biden sat on pipe bomber evidence
Uploaded: 2025-12-08T18:05:28.731Z
Duration: 6 min 45 s
Description: Stephen Sund and Dareen Mott join to discuss FBI Director Kash Patel claiming that the Biden administration sat on evidence on the D.C. pipe bomber for four years.

Stephen Sund and Dareen Mott join to discuss FBI Director Kash Patel claiming that the Biden administration sat on evidence on the D.C. pipe bomber for four years.

Washington

Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and retired FBI agent Darren Mott discussed the investigation into the January 6th pipe bomber, noting that significant evidence was available early on, including geo-tracking, purchase records, and surveillance footage. Despite this, the case remained unsolved for nearly five years under the Biden administration, while the Trump DOJ had reportedly narrowed in on a suspect within ten months.

The suspect, who has now confessed, was identified through cell phone data and unique clothing items. Investigators are examining his motives, background, and digital communications. The discussion also addressed conflicting reports about the suspect's motive and the role of DOJ leadership in the pace of the investigation.

Patel: Biden sat on pipe bomber evidence

Joining me now with the latest coming out of this investigation, former chief for the U.S. Capitol Police Steven Sun. He was the chief during the January 6th riot. Also with us is a retired FBI supervisory special agent and author of Get Cyber Smart, Darren Mott. Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us. So, again, Steven, you are well aware of what was happening that fateful day. The bomb-sniffing dogs, though, missed the pipe bombs that day. They were, though, discovered finally. And there's that video of the hooded pipe-bombing suspect. He planted them the night before around 730. They were discovered about, I think, 16, 17 hours later. You know, how could the Biden administration have missed it? Five years, five long years, and yet within 10 months, the Trump Department of Justice narrowed in on this guy. What are your thoughts? I'll tell you, you're absolutely right about, you know, why did it take so long? I've talked to law enforcement from California to the NYPD about this case, and there's really no comprehensible reason why it would take so long to solve. You know, people have referred to this as a cold case. It wasn't. There was tons and tons of tips, tons and tons of evidence that they could have gone from. You know, most of the case resulted from geo-tracking used by the cell phone. Even if the cell phone data was, for some reason, corrupted, redacted, not available, there was a lot of other information. You heard Director Patel talk about the end caps. You just showed the pipe bomb on the screen, the metal end caps. There was only 225,000 of those produced. You could have easily began to track those down, combine that with LPR, license plate reader data in the area, and purchase history of those caps in the DMV area, the District of Maryland, Virginia, and start tracking down some possible suspects. That could have easily been done in the first six months. Why here we are 59 months later, and it's now only being solved? There's really no reason for that, other than thinking they didn't want to solve it. Right. And Darren, Biden's DOJ claims it sifted through tens of thousands of videos. They conducted a thousand interviews. Hundreds of tips came in. Yet, somehow, someway, they missed the sky. And to what Stephen's talking about, Trump's DOJ says cell phone data, purchases he made at Home Depot, plus the pipe bomber, was wearing limited-edition Nike sneakers. So he's wearing these limited-edition special Nike sneakers that, there they are, that only a few people could have. So this suspect is a black man. We know that for five years, it was all about white supremacy, MAGA cult. Do you think that played a role in this, that this guy didn't fit that leftist narrative, and that's why he was overlooked? Well, it certainly seems that way. And I think this is a great question for leadership in both the DOJ and the FBI at that time. And I'm talking leadership at the headquarter level, because this is where any of that would have been stopped. The investigators on the ground who were collecting all that evidence, who were doing the cellular phone analysis, who were reviewing his purchase records all the way back to 2019, had this information, and their goal is to prosecute somebody. But leadership at FBI headquarters has to coordinate with DOJ to say, we want to prosecute. Who's the prosecutor going to be? And if DOJ says, well, we're not going to move forward with this prosecution, and we don't have to give you a reason, then that's a question for those in charge at the time. Because certainly, the evidence now with new leadership shows that here it is. Here he is. He's confessed to it, and we probably could have solved this years ago with the right leadership in place. Yeah. And Stephen, investigators have not released a motive, but reportedly his grandmother says that he does have autism. There are reports that he confessed. But it's interesting, because this is not the person you would think is this kind of elusive pipe bomber, right? Because neighbors describe him as very quiet, that he was seen walking around the neighborhood — an affluent neighborhood, by the way — walking his little chihuahua for hours with his headphones on. And what's curious is that he bought these pipe bomb materials all the way back in 2019. But you have other reports saying that he placed the pipe bombs because he disagreed with the election results. So was he psychic? I just don't — what are your thoughts about all the conflicting reports? Again, here we are just a couple of days from the arrest. A lot of speculation is going on. This is where the real police work can begin to happen, where we now have a suspect. Let's look at what his motives were, what his accomplices are. Who's he on the cell phone with? These are things that are going to start to lead us in the right direction. I agree with you. What's his mental acuity for pulling this type of job off? I'm really looking forward to finding out what this — where this leads us and, again, back to his motivation and who may have been coordinating this with him. Darren, you've investigated multiple cases, as well as a former FBI supervisory agent. These bombs, they were rudimentary, and ultimately they didn't go off. But the FBI deemed them viable and could have killed thousands of people. How difficult is it for someone to make these type of bombs? Because it's not like you can go to YouTube, right, and find out how to make a bomb. He worked also part-time as a DoorDash employee. He worked part-time with his dad's company. I'm just — some of the puzzle pieces aren't fitting for me. But how difficult is it to make a bomb like this? Well, that's a great question. And my experience is in cybercrime. And let's be honest, that information is out there. If you want to find it, you will find the ability to create whatever you want. Now, YouTube probably doesn't have a video that says, put this together, here's the wires you use, because they're going to block those. But the dark web is full of this information. You can go on, you can find people that can help you do it. And that's going to be an interesting point as the investigation goes on. Was he talking with anyone? Was there assistance? I haven't seen evidence that that's the case, but who knows? I mean, there's a lot of digital footprints they're going to have to follow through with and say, you know, what was he doing in the five years? And as to his motive, he had five years to think about what he'd say if this ever came to be. So his point about being — he was concerned that the election was rigged. I have some follow-up questions I'd like to ask from that, especially because you said he bought in stuff in 2019. He seemed to be a bomber looking for a cause, and he found one on that day. Right. And also, it was both the RNC and the DNC were seeing that the family has very leftist leanings. The father had retained Ben Crump. We know who he is. He represented George Floyd's family. They sued the Trump administration. The family also posting stuff online showing their very left. And the family also, during court, screamed that he was innocent. So we shall see how this will all unfold. He has not answered a plea yet. Stephen Sund, Darren Mott, thank you both. Thank you. Thank you.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday (December 8) that unity between Europe, Ukraine and the U.S. was important when negotiating an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. He made the remark during a visit to London.

London

Ukraine Invasion

Kyiv stresses European unity as allies 'skeptical' of U.S. peace plan

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan on Monday (December 8), triggering a tsunami warning of up to 15 inches in coastal areas. CBS News' Vlad Duthiers reports.

Aomori

Powerful earthquake rocks Japan, triggers tsunami warnings

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies prepared to hold talks in London on Monday (December 8), after President Donald Trump accused him of not reading the U.S. proposal to end the war with Russia.

Zelenskyy to meet European allies after Trump criticism

Thailand has launched airstrikes on Cambodian military sites as renewed border violence threatens a U.S.-backed peace deal.

Bangkok

Renewed border violence threatens Thai-Cambodia peace

South African authorities have withdrawn a 90-day visa exemption for Palestinians, saying the recent arrival of a charter flight with 153 people onboard was part of a campaign of “forced migration.”

Johannesburg

Middle East Conflict

South Africa withdraws 90-days visa exemption for Palestinians

Chinese and Japanese ties came under further strain after a Chinese fighter aircraft trained fire-control radar on Japanese military jets for the first time.

Okinawa

Chinese fighter jet locks radar on Japan planes

A military coup declared in Benin on Sunday has failed, the country’s interior minister said, just hours after soldiers took over state television to announce the dissolution of government.

Porto-Novo

Benin coup attempt thwarted by soldiers loyal to Republic

Hong Kong's citizens were voting on Sunday in an election where the focus is on turnout, with residents grieving and traumatized after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years and the authorities scrambling to avoid a broader public backlash.

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong holds tightly guarded election amid anger over deadly fire

A U.S. envoy says territorial claims remain a sticking point in a proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S.-led meetings have ended; meanwhile, Russia launched a massive strike on central Ukraine early Sunday.

Kyiv

U.S.-led peace talks wrap as Russia launches strike on Ukraine

Russia targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, meaning another winter of power outages for Ukrainians as Vladimir Putin tries to crush their resolve. Holly Williams reports.

Moscow

Russia targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats, saying President Trump can take decisive military action as he sees fit. Willie James Inman reports on the latest.

Pete Hegseth on boat strikes: "We will find you and we will sink you"

To crackdown on so-called “narcoterrorists”, the US has slowly but steadily been building up its military presence in the Caribbean. 15,000 troops are now stationed in the area, many in Puerto Rico.

Ponce

U.S boosts military presence in Puerto Rico amid Venezuela tensions

Residents in the Indonesian region of Aceh Tamiang have been struggling to get aid while mourning the loss of their loved ones, as the death toll from floods and landslides that hit Sumatra island this month rose to more than 900 people.

Jakarta

Indonesian families mourn loved ones as flood deaths pass 900

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that he had had a long and "substantive" phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Zelenskyy says he had 'substantive' phone call with U.S's Witkoff

Netflix is set to buy Warner Bros. in a deal valued at $72 billion, but the announcement has sparked concern among industry workers.

Hollywood

Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. sparks industry concern

The man suspected of placing pipe bombs around Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, had his first court appearance on Friday after he was arrested Thursday following a five-year manhunt. A judge ordered the suspect to remain in jail pending future hearings.

Judge orders D.C pipe bomb suspect to remain in jail

A 22-year-old woman who says she was born and raised in the United States tells "CBS Saturday Morning" about being chased down the street by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as the Trump administration's New Orleans immigration crackdown ramps up.

New Orleans

ICE crackdown in New Orleans ramps up

One of the world's most influential architects Frank Gehry has died at the age of 96. Known for his whimsical, unpredictable style, he rose to fame with his titanium design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Bilbao

Influential architect Frank Gehry dies, 96

At least eleven people are dead after a mass shooting at a shebeen (an unlicensed bar), in Saulsville, a township just west of South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria.

Saulsville

Several killed in mass shooting west of South Africa's capital

The United States is warning its NATO allies that Europe must take on more of its own defence, and fast. According to an exclusive Reuters report, the Pentagon has set an ambitious 2027 deadline for European nations to assume most of the alliance’s conventional military capabilities.

U.S. threatens NATO withdrawal if Europe doesn't take lead by 2027

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide the legality of President Donald Trump's directive to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States, a contentious part of his efforts to curb immigration and a step that would alter how a 19th century constitutional provision has long been understood.

U.S. Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship case

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel voted to change the recommendation for when children should get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Meg Oliver has more.

Shift in decades-long guidance on hepatitis B vaccine

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at an annual summit and agreed to diversify mutual economic ties, as the United States presses India to revise its decades-old partnership with Russia.

Delhi

Russia-India sign trade agreements despite pressure from the West

It's a deal described as the beginning of a new path to peace. Leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed an agreement aiming to end the long-running conflict in eastern DRC. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the leaders in Washington, DC.

DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal: Leaders sign accord alongside U.S.

The Pentagon announced another strike against an alleged drug-carrying boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This comes as lawmakers react to a classified briefing on the controversial Sept. 2 strikes targeting a vessel near Venezuela.

Pentagon announces new boat strike

New evidence was presented in court in connection with the case against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. CBS News' Katrina Kaufman reports.

Manhattan

New evidence shared in Luigi Mangione's pre-trial hearing

Israel has been cleared for the 2026 Eurovision song contest after the European Broadcasting Union said most members did not want a vote on participation, prompting four countries — the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia — to boycott the competition over the war in Gaza.

Israel’s Eurovision participation triggers boycotts

Honduran presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla said U.S. President Donald Trump’s last-minute support for rival Nasry Asfura hurt his chances in the country’s closely fought election.

Tegucigalpa

Honduras' Nasralla: Trump's influence damaged my election chances

A northern Virginia man was arrested and accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Scott MacFarlane has details.

FBI arrests suspect in 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case

A grand jury has rejected the Department of Justice's attempt to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson has reaction.

Breakdown