US Senator from Wisconsin Ron Johnson sent a letter to the Secret Service, asking Director James Murray about a "potential lapse in security" regarding the visit of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to the HQ of the Democratic National Committee while a pipe bomb was allegedly planted nearby.
"Given that Secret Service reportedly swept the areas in and around the DNC headquarters prior to Harris’ arrival on January 6, 2021, it seems odd that agents did not immediately discover the pipe bomb that was reportedly located next to a park bench at that location", Johnson said.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
© AP Photo / Cliff Owen
The senator noted that the Capitol Police reportedly began their investigation into the incident at approximately 1:07 p.m. local time, with the Secret Service escorting someone believed to be the vice president-elect out of the DNC building seven minutes later. Harris had been there since 11:30 that morning, 15-16 hours after the bomb had allegedly been planted.
"Please explain why Secret Service did not discover the pipe bomb reportedly located 'next to a park bench' near the DNC headquarters during their sweep?" Johnson asked.
Although the pipe bombs were discovered during the US Capitol riot, authorities have not directly linked the pipe bomb suspect with any protesters.
Back in March 2021, the FBI published a video of the suspect that planted the pipe bombs at the Democratic and Republican national committee buildings and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to identifying the perpetrator. However, there have not been any reports on arrests in connection with the case.