Why a January 6th commission when it started on January 5th? by Trevor Zantos

*Warning, I’m not an expert, not claiming to be one just asking questions! *

There are many unanswered questions about the events surrounding January 6th, 2020, and the riot in the Capital. A few brave reporters are asking very good questions about what the government knew and when it knew it as well as the unequal prosecutorial pressure and conditions (Julie Kelly, Lee Smith, and Daren Beattie stand out). However, while they have asked about the “bomber” and why the FBI hasn’t seemingly tried quite as hard to find them vs the 70yr old Grandma that’s charging crime is trespassing, they have not asked about the “IED”. This is evidence that the Federal government has in hand and can answer all these questions, it also occurred at approx 8:00 PM EST on Jan 5th, 2020 so it really should be the focal point as it is the first event in the sequence.

Based on the FBI’s own data, statements, and photos there are many questions that need to be answered and can be all with materials on hand. My PERSONAL theory is that the “IEDs” were not live devices and were not intended to go off, they were intended to further draw resources and attention at the precise time the group was planning on gaining entry to the Capital. According to the former US Capitol Police Chief’s testimony, they accomplished it perfectly. as I will show below. My best guess is that the person that dropped the devices was just a cutout, who built the fakes? Who paid for the operation? Were any of these individuals known to the federal government through undercover officers, and informants whether directly or indirectly? As always, the language used by the Government is very important, every press release and interview I have seen refers to the devices as “viable” not “live”. According to the FBI, the device was 1”x8” which has a volume of less than 103cc, it was filled with homemade black powder. Regular black powder is 1/3 as powerful as smokeless powder. Both are widely available across the US with no need for ID and limited tracking ability. The home-made black powder would have a much more unique signature and potentially even less explosive potential. Why would the bomber/people behind it do that? Finally, even if they were live, they were packed with one of the least powerful explosives and the 60min egg timers would have had them going off the evening of January 5th. Had it gone off it would have probably done little physical damage but would have canceled Trump’s rally and probably most of the events. I’m just some aspiring writer, hopefully, writers with an audience will see these questions and start getting answers because I believe they will reveal much more than people imagine.

Questions for FBI/DOJ/ATF/White House

Were the devices live when they were neutralized?
Was there a secondary activation device besides the 60 min mechanical egg timer? If not, did the timer malfunction? Were there any differences between the two devices?
Have both the FBI explosives lab and the ATF explosives lab had full access to all the data?
What parts of the chemical signature of the homemade black powder distinguish it from commercial off-the-shelf powder (COTS)? What is the powder’s Relative Effectiveness Factor compared to factory back powder (scale used to compare explosive’s potential energy vs TNT)? Does the government have any previous incidents that match this black powder compound? What would the damage be had the devices gone off?
Who did the US Capital Police get the call from at 12:52 pm regarding the device by the RNC headquarters? If it was a law enforcement agency that called, who tipped them? Who exactly located the second device? Were they operating on any tips?
Has the FBI reviewed video from the two IED placement sites to discover how the devices weren’t discovered until 1/6?

Questions/observations as far as intentions/desired reaction by the bomber/bombers.

Why would the individual use homemade black powder? It seems logical that factory black powder would probably contain more potential energy. Even then, smokeless powder is roughly 3 times more powerful than black powder. All these powders generally are sold in a minimum of 1lb jugs and are not regulated and widely available across the US and are not super unique. There are different types but it’s not as easy to track a specific lot of powder and where it was sold etc. The device is described as a 1”x8” pipe, according to math that means the maximum volume would be 103ccs or about 100 grams. Without knowing the exact composition of the black powder it’s hard to know exactly how large the grains are vs density but working on those rough numbers it would be equivalent to .055kg TNT=.1KG black powder (assuming the homemade powder was as effective as a commercial black powder but that is highly doubtful.
If the 60min timer was the only activation device, why didn’t the devices go off the night of Jan 5th? Why would the individual/individuals set it to go off the night of Jan 5th, there were some limited gatherings, but had they gone off the logical outcome is the activities of 1/6, like the president’s speech, would have been severely affected if not canceled outright.
What if the devices weren’t designed to explode? The former US Capitol Police Chief Sund testified the following to Congress excerpts from Pg 5-6: “We were monitoring the actions and demeanor of the crowd, which at the time did not raise any concerns when we received word at 12:52 p.m. that a pipe bomb had been located at the Republican National Committee Headquarters, immediately adjacent to Capitol Grounds. We responded immediately to coordinate and send resources to the scene, including a number of officers, officials, and a bomb squad. We also dispatched resources to look for other explosive devices, suspects, and vehicles.”

He continues: “Meanwhile, at approximately 1:50 p.m., USCP resources dispatched to look for other possible explosives located another pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, as well as a vehicle with explosives and a weapon, all within close proximity of the Capitol Grounds. As a result of these explosive devices, extensive USCP resources were dispatched to the scenes, and two congressional office buildings had to be evacuated. I believe all of this was part of a coordinated plan related to the attack on the Capitol.”

Would it be reasonable to postulate that this diversion of vital resources and mind power could have been the exact desired outcome? According to Elijah Shaffer’s detailed timeline the breach of the Capital, it started at 1 pm EST, right as resources are being directed towards the suspicious devices. The first entry of the capital is at 1:15 PM. Near the height of the chaos inside the Capital, authorities are made aware of the 2nd device at 1:52 PM and must send additional resources there. Another interesting question is raised in a recent interview with Kash Patel, Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Defense, he remarked the South part of the capital was left completely undefended, why was that?

Chief Sund stated, “I believe all of this was part of a coordinated plan related to the attack on the Capitol“. So, who coordinated this attack? The Proud Boys? Antifa? The 3 Percenters? If the placing of devices was coordinated with the activities the next day, then obviously that would be further proof that President Trump didn’t incite violence during his speech. It appears irrefutable that the FBI and possibly other agencies knew beforehand through confidential informants/undercover agents that the specific individuals planned to agitate an assault, were there any communications known by Federal/State/Local law enforcement that the IEDs were part of the plan?

Sources:

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/suspected-pipe-bombs-in-washington-dc

https://web.archive.org/web/20210708184110/https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/suspected-pipe-bombs-in-washington-dc

https://web.archive.org/web/20210708184518/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNT_equivalent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNT_equivalent#Relative_effectiveness_factor

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Testimony-Sund-2021-02-23.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20210708191542/https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Testimony-Sund-2021-02-23.pdf



Addendum: Without knowing the exact composition of the black powder it’s hard to know exactly how much potential explosive energy the device contained, but the REF of 100g of factory black power =.055kg TNT black powder (assuming the homemade powder was as effective as a commercial black powder but highly doubtful).


"The time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard." Gen. T.J. Jackson, March 1861