How an innocent woman’s name was tied to the Jan. 6 pipe bombs

A federal security agent linked to a foiled the January 6 homemade bomb attack cleared her name by providing an alibi: a video of her playing with her puppies at the time the devices were placed, sources told CBS News. The FBI has now ruled her out as a suspect in the 2021 plot, according to three sources — but only after her name circulated on social platforms and on a conservative news site.

How an innocent woman’s name came to be publicly associated with the unexploded pipe bombs is a question that has raised concerns among some senior Trump administration officials.

CBS News is not naming the security guard or where he worked. The federal agency she protects declined to comment.

Multiple sources said a unit overseen by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote a memo identifying the woman and describing allegations that she placed the explosive devices in front of the offices of the Democratic and Republican parties.

ODNI officials said the agency received a tip from someone affiliated with a media organization regarding possible criminal acts committed by an individual believed to work at an intelligence agency and began documenting it in a memo.

A copy of the unfinished memo was given to senior management at the security guard’s workplace, sources said.

It also circulated among some Trump administration officials, raising hopes that the nearly five-year-old case could be resolved. But the memo caught some officials at the FBI, Justice Department and White House off guard, the sources said.

ODNI oversees foreign intelligence collection in the country and has limited domestic investigative authorities. The FBI is leading the investigation into the pipe bomb.

Shortly after the unfinished memo began circulating, conservative media outlet Blaze News published details similar to those in the draft, including the woman’s full name.

The November 8 Blaze News article claimed to have identified the woman after a review of video evidence and “gait analysis” software matched her walking pace to the gait of a person shown in surveillance footage, who authorities suspect of planting bombs outside party offices on January 5, 2021.

Blaze News said his work was “confirmed by multiple intelligence sources.”

Multiple sources told CBS News that the classified draft memo, which was on ODNI letterhead, was written by Paul McNamara, head of Gabbard’s Director’s Initiatives Group, charged with ensuring “transparency and accountability” and carrying out President Trump’s intelligence-related executive orders. McNamara could not be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman, Olivia Coleman, said: “ODNI has complied with its obligation to report information received regarding the alleged activities of a member of the intelligence community to its employing agency.

“After a whistleblower made an allegation, ODNI documented the accusation and legally reported it, fulfilling our legal obligation to alert the appropriate agencies when suspected/potential security issues are brought to our attention,” Coleman said. “No predetermined conclusions or assessments have been made, and every action taken has been in consultation with legal counsel.”

The Blaze report was the subject of widespread media coverage and discussion on social media, particularly among Mr. Trump’s supporters.

News of the alleged breakdown in the affair reached Mr. Trump, two of the sources said, although it was unclear how he learned of it.

The bombing incident is one of the enduring mysteries surrounding the events around the Capitol on January 5, 2021, the eve of January 6 riot. Nearly five years after the homemade bombs were planted, no suspects have been arrested or identified. The FBI said the bombs were viable, but they did not explode.

CBS News has not seen the memo, but sources said McNamara accessed confidential files to obtain details about the woman for the draft memo, including her location of employment and Social Security number.

Gabbard, the top ODNI official, has since distanced herself from the memo, telling senior officials that information about the woman had spread without her knowledge while Gabbard was traveling abroad, multiple sources said.

An ODNI official also said the draft memo had not been reviewed or approved by agency leadership.

Sources said this and other situations were viewed internally by some senior administration officials as interference in areas beyond the purview of the Office of the National Intelligence Director. Axios reported in September that Justice Department officials believed ODNI obstructed their trial against former CIA Director John Brennan. The New York Times reported in October that ODNI accessed FBI investigative files related to the Charlie Kirk assassination, searched for evidence of conspiracies and potentially undermined the government’s case against the alleged assassin.

The federal security official cooperated with the FBI, sources familiar with the matter said. Her lawyer has publicly stated that she did nothing wrong. The woman and her lawyer declined to comment.

She returned to work after being placed on short-term leave, one of the sources said.

An FBI spokesperson and Blaze News representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Blaze News has updated its article with a correction and additional information, but it remains online.

FBI officials said they continue to pursue leads in the pipe bomb case.