Tapper Walks Back Calling Pipe Bomb Suspect 'White Man'

CNN's Jake Tapper issued an on-air correction after mistakenly referring to Washington, D.C., pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. as a "white man."

After news broke Thursday that Cole, 30, allegedly left explosive devices outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee offices on the night of Jan. 5, 2021, Tapper introduced the story with the error on his show, "The Lead."

"Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old white man from the D.C. suburbs, is charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and with malicious destruction by means of explosion," Tapper said Thursday. ---More...

This is why NOBODY trusts CNN… Jake Tapper refers to the alleged pipe bomber as a “white man”

This is why NOBODY trusts CNN…

Jake Tapper refers to the alleged pipe bomber as a “white man.”

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— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen)December 5, 2025