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.
Moments later, when Tapper aired photos of the suspect, it was apparent Cole is Black.
"Yesterday, minutes before we showed you the suspect's photo, I should note that I mistakenly said that the suspect was White," Tapper told viewers. "Obviously, as the photo revealed, he's Black. Apologies for that mistake."
Cole allegedly admitted in a four-hour interview Thursday that he committed the crime, and the Justice Department has charged him with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials.
Authorities said the arrest was based on evidence previously gathered by the FBI. Although the devices placed near the RNC and DNC did not explode, investigators said both were viable threats.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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