Vice President Kamala Harris came within 20 feet of a pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Secret Service released an 81-page report on its response to the Jan. 6 riot, detailing its preparations and actions around the event. A still-unidentified individual placed pipe bombs outside the DNC and Republican National Committee headquarters the night before. The bombs went unnoticed by the Secret Service canine unit sent to clear the premises before her arrival.
Harris traveled from the Capitol to the DNC headquarters shortly before noon, hours before the riot. According to the report, she got within 20 feet of the pipe bomb while entering the headquarters through a ramp. She remained in the building for one hour and 40 minutes.
The report added that the Secret Service had not used all of the explosive detection tactics and measures for its sweep of the DNC headquarters due to a lack of adequate policies for the president and vice president-elect. The pipe bomb was ultimately discovered by two plainclothes U.S. Capitol Police officers.
“Two USCP plainclothes agents who were searching the DNC building after a similar device was discovered at the Republican National Committee building ultimately discovered the pipe bomb 1 hour and 40 minutes after the Vice President-elect’s arrival,” the report read. “The two USCP agents notified the Secret Service, who then evacuated the Vice President-elect from the DNC building.”
The two pipe bombs didn’t detonate but have puzzled investigators and observers since. Despite an extensive investigation, no suspects have been identified.
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“Over the past three years, a dedicated team of FBI agents, analysts, data scientists, and law enforcement partners has worked thousands of hours conducting interviews, reviewing physical and digital evidence, and assessing tips from the public about who may have placed pipe bombs on Capitol Hill,” David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said in a January statement.
Surveillance footage showed an individual wearing baggy clothes, a hoodie, and a mask placing the bombs outside the headquarters the night before. The FBI is offering a $500,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
