The CNN news personality, Jake Tapper, is facing mockery and harsh criticism after he falsely identified the January 5 Washington pipe bomb suspect, Brian Cole, as a white man, even though his own show displayed a photo, moments later, that clearly showed the suspect in black.

It’s the second time this year that a CNN news personality has rushed to refer to a perpetrator of terroristic violence as white or “possibly white” when in fact they were not. 

In the matter of Mr. Tapper, following nearly five years of investigation, law enforcement announced on Thursday that they had arrested Mr. Cole for allegedly placing pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee on January 5, 2021. 

During a segment of “The Lead” on Thursday evening, Mr. Tapper reported on the arrest, saying, “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.”

However, Mr. Cole is not white, and minutes later, CNN aired pictures of the suspect, which showed that he is actually black. 

A conservative commentator, Greg Price, wrote, “Jake Tapper identified the J6 pipe bomb suspect as a ‘30-Year-old white man.’ Idk about you but this guy does not look white to me.”

“Jake Tapper better issue a correction,” another conservative commentator, Steve Guest, wrote on X. 

A conservative commentator, Nick Sortor, wrote, “WTF?! CNN’s Jake Tapper just went out of his way to LIE and call the J6 pipe bomb a “WHITE MAN. …CNN can’t help themselves but push anti-white rhetoric.”

“This is so wrong of you @jaketapper  and  @CNN. On-Air retraction?” another user asked. 

A conservative podcaster, Benny Johnson, wrote, “CNN’s Jake Tapper labels the J6 pipe bomber suspect Brian Cole a ‘30 year old WHITE man.’ You can’t make this stuff up.”

“‘If it doesn’t fit the narrative, lie. Blame it on the whites.’ – 

@CNN @jaketapper,” a conservative commentator Priya Patel wrote. 

A former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, quipped, “In fairness … you have no idea how he identifies.”

CNN has aggressively covered the events of January 6, 2021, portraying the protesters as a seething mob of angry white men involved in a violent insurrection. On Friday morning, the news organization doubled down on its narrative that the DC pipe bomber is right-wing, claiming that Mr. Cole told the FBI under questioning that he believes the 2020 election was stolen. 

That would somewhat contradict new reports in the Daily Wire that Mr. Cole’s family had “worked to get illegal immigrants out of ICE facilities and sued Trump’s DHS. Court of Appeals ruled against it weeks before Jan 6. It later hired Trayvon Martin’s attorney & asked Biden’s DOJ to investigate anti-black racism.” 

In July, Erin Burnett described the suspect in a New York City shooting, Shane Tamura, as “possibly white.” However, it later turned out that the statement was not accurate and that surveillance video of the suspect widely circulating before Ms. Burnett’s report showed a black man.

CNN did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.