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A former Capitol Police officer endured an FBI raid, a polygraph interrogation, and lasting personal damage after a right-wing website falsely linked her to the January 6 pipe bomb case. Meanwhile, conservative figures and allies of the accused are pushing to end what remains the final active prosecution connected to the Capitol attack.
FBI Clears Officer After Blaze Story Sparks Investigation
Before authorities arrested pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole, the FBI questioned Shauni Kerkhoff, a former Capitol Police officer. Reporters for The Blaze, a right-wing website founded by Glenn Beck, had suggested her as a possible suspect based on a so-called “gait analysis.” One of the story’s co-authors was Steve Baker, a former January 6 defendant who pleaded guilty in November 2024 to four misdemeanors but never received a sentence.
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Kerkhoff had previously testified in the first January 6 trial, appearing as a witness against armed pro-Trump rioter Guy Reffitt. The Blaze also named her in a separate story accusing Capitol Police of using excessive force. Her lawyers say the FBI told her it was investigating “online chatter” — a direct reference to The Blaze’s reporting.
As a result, agents subjected her to a home search involving a caravan of armed officers, a bomb-disposal truck, and a helicopter. A three-hour polygraph interrogation followed. Investigators ultimately cleared her. Kerkhoff, who now works in campus security for the CIA, faces no charges.
The Justice Department stated that Kerkhoff had “become the target of a malicious online conspiracy.” Officials added that the FBI’s investigation found the claims to be “baseless” and that it “yielded zero evidence connecting Kerkhoff in any way to the construction, transportation, or planting of the pipe bombs.” Among the evidence supporting her innocence, prosecutors cited records showing she was at her home in Falls Church, Virginia, when someone placed the bombs on January 5.
The Blaze Retracts Story as Lawsuit Follows
The Blaze retracted its story on December 4, the same day prosecutors announced charges against Cole. The outlet wrote that, in light of the arrest, “we consider the values of fairness and accuracy to require retraction of this article,” while still claiming to stand by its sources.
In April, Kerkhoff sued Blaze Media for defamation. Her attorneys argued the outlet “manufactured” the story to fit a conclusion its reporters had already reached. They wrote that the reporters “built their reporting careers on a single, unshakeable premise: that January 6, 2021 was a ‘deep state’ ‘inside job.'” Rather than investigating with an open mind, the attorneys said, the reporters “tried to confirm what they had already decided was true.”
Court filings this week described the lasting impact on Kerkhoff’s life. Her attorneys wrote that she “was placed under FBI scrutiny that will follow her for the rest of her career, has lost friendships and professional opportunities, lives in fear for her physical safety, and has postponed her wedding — all because Blaze Media chose to manufacture a story rather than report the truth.”
The Blaze’s legal team responded by noting that its stories never directly identified Kerkhoff as the pipe bomber. Lawyers also said the story “went through multiple rounds of editorial review, including legal review and even review by Blaze Media executives.” They further noted that Blaze Media terminated Baker and that his co-author resigned shortly after. The publication said it bears no responsibility for additional statements either journalist made independently. A message to The Blaze’s attorneys went unanswered.
Baker, in an interview with NBC News, said he first noticed Kerkhoff while reviewing video from the Capitol attack. He said he had been searching publicly available footage for people carrying backpacks that might contain what he described as an “agitation weapon.” He described it as “essentially a directed energy weapon that can either make you extremely agitated and behave in untoward ways, or it can debilitate you.” Baker said he remains convinced Cole is not the actual suspect and believes the charges form part of a government cover-up.
Former FBI Agent and Proud Boys Leader Back Cole
Kyle Seraphin, one of the special agents who conducted surveillance during the pipe bomb investigation, has since left the FBI following a falling-out with FBI Director Kash Patel. He now hosts a podcast. In an interview, Seraphin said he does not believe the FBI’s accusations against Cole. He also predicted an acquittal. “There’s no way that a D.C. jury convicts this guy,” he said.
Some attorneys representing Cole also represent Baker and his co-author in Kerkhoff’s defamation lawsuit. During a hearing this month, the government raised the possibility that this arrangement could create a conflict of interest.
Cole’s parents have given interviews claiming the government is framing their son. They spoke with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who previously downplayed the January 6 attack and promoted false narratives about it before leaving the network. They also spoke with Cara Castronuova, a former trainer on “The Biggest Loser” who now serves as a White House correspondent for a conservative outlet run by MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, a prominent denier of the 2020 election results.
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, also appeared at the federal courthouse to show support for Cole. Tarrio received a 22-year federal prison sentence for seditious conspiracy, though President Trump later commuted it. He returned to the same courthouse where his own trial took place. After the hearing, Tarrio said he considers Cole part of the January 6 community. “I think they should drop the case,” Tarrio said. “He’s a J6er.” Wearing a “Brian Cole Did Nothing Wrong” T-shirt, Tarrio added that the case undermines public trust in the justice system. “If you don’t have confidence in the system,” he said, “you get events like Jan. 6.”
