CNN’s Jake Tapper was ripped Thursday after he wrongly referred to accused DC pipe-bomber Brian Cole Jr. as “a white man.”
Tapper made the cringeworthy gaffe while discussing the arrest of Cole, who is black, during his opening segment on “The Lead.”
His “white man” comment came at 5:01 p.m., around the time CNN was the first outlet to publish a photo of Cole’s face that originated from the suspect’s mother’s Instagram account.
Cole’s father is also black and once enlisted the services of Ben Crump, an attorney best known for his racial discrimination cases.
Viewers were stunned by Tapper’s misrepresentation of the alleged pipe bomber.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” conservative pundit Benny Johnson wrote on X.
“Jake is sharp as a tack. Nothing gets past him. Dude’s elite!” another deadpanned.
“Its impossible that he does not know what he is doing,” one user speculated.
Conservative influencer Nick Sorter accused CNN of pushing “anti-white rhetoric.”
But others were more understanding.
“Not a fan of Jake, but the guys name is Brian – that may be a top 3 white name. So understandable mistake,” one user joked.
“Clearly he never looked at the graphics. Probably just read a script,” another suggested.
Cole was arrested at his home in Woodbridge, Virginia early Thursday morning.
The 30-year-old was charged with the use of an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.
Authorities claimed that Cole was the mystery man who planted pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic National Committees in Washington, DC, on Jan. 5, 2021 – the night before Congress certified the 2020 electoral votes.
The investigation went virtually nowhere for five years as US Attorney Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel both asserted that the Biden administration had crucial evidence “collecting dust” while the suspect roamed free.
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The Trump administration leapt on the investigation and swiftly renewed the $500,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest – though the sum will go uncollected, since federal authorities did the heavy lifting.
Authorities suspect that Cole began constructing the crude bombs, encased in 8-inch galvanized pipes, as early as 2019.
They claim he hopped between big-name hardware stores and mass retailers like Walmart to purchase items needed to make the bombs.
Cole continued purchasing bomb-making components even after he allegedly placed two in the nation’s capital, according to a criminal complaint.
