Kamala Harris came alarmingly close to a pipe bomb during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to a new report.
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general report provides details of how the then-vice president-elect was just feet away from the explosive device planted in bushes outside the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters, according to ABC News, which obtained a copy.
The report says the pipe bomb had been “placed near the building the night before” a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the nearby Capitol complex, according to ABC News. “Advance security sweeps by the Secret Service at the DNC building did not include the outside area where a pipe bomb had been placed,” DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari writes in the report, which was shared with members of Congress on Thursday, according to the network.
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“[Harris], traveling in an armored vehicle with her motorcade, entered the DNC building via a ramp within 20 feet of the pipe bomb,” the report says. It claims that the device wasn’t found for an hour and 40 minutes after Harris’ arrival at the building, with the report further suggesting it then took the Secret Service 10 minutes to evacuate her, meaning she spent around 1 hour and 50 minutes in the headquarters.
It’s still not clear who planted that pipe bomb and another similar bomb at the Republican National Committee’s headquarters.
“Although these bombs did not detonate, it is important to remember the suspect walked along residential and commercial areas in Capitol Hill just blocks from the U.S. Capitol with viable pipe bombs that could have seriously injured or killed innocent bystanders,” the FBI, which is offering a $500,000 reward for information about the bomber, said in a statement in January. “Moreover, the suspect may still pose a danger to the public or themselves.”
