More than four years after two pipe bombs were discovered near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters on January 6, 2021, the identity of the hooded suspect remains a baffling enigma.

Captured on blurry surveillance footage wearing a gray hoodie, face mask, gloves, and Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers, the bomber planted viable explosive devices during the chaos of the Capitol riot, only to vanish without a trace.

Despite a $500,000 FBI reward and extensive video analysis, the investigation has yielded no arrests, fueling speculation of incompetence—or worse—within federal law enforcement.

Now, a senior Trump administration official is blowing the whistle, accusing the FBI of deliberately botching the probe and hinting at a deeper scandal.

Ed Martin, serving as Director of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice, delivered a scathing critique of the FBI’s handling of the pipe bomber case in an interview with Tucker Carlson that aired Wednesday.

Martin, who briefly oversaw the investigation as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, pulled no punches.

"The pipe bomber—as a prosecutor — I’ve got the pipe bomber case in my office,” he told Carlson, revealing that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino informed him agents were reassigned to the case in early 2025.

But Martin was stunned by the lack of progress.

"It’s been going on for five weeks?” he said, likening the initial probe to the bumbling "Keystone Cops."

Martin accused the FBI of neglecting basic investigative steps.

"They didn’t interview some of the people that you would have said, ‘That might be a suspect.’ They hadn’t interviewed him," he said, casting doubt on the agency’s competence. "The question becomes, ‘what’s happening here?’ Is it incompetence? It feels worse than incompetence."

When Carlson pressed whether the DOJ’s problems exceeded public perception, Martin was unequivocal: "I think it’s worse than incompetence."

Yet, he stressed the need for evidence over speculation, stating, "The only way forward is not to describe what I think of the motives but to expose over and over again what’s happened. If you expose what happened and the truth gets out, then accountability is possible."

WATCH: (Starts at 16 minutes)

Praising Bongino’s renewed efforts, Martin noted, "He is going hammer and tongs at this stuff," but cautioned that accountability takes time. "You can’t arrest everybody in the first month, but you’ve got to get this going."

He concluded with a dire warning about the DOJ’s broader dysfunction: "much, much worse than people think."

Martin’s critique of the pipe bomb investigation follows the collapse of his nomination as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a powerful post overseeing January 6-related cases.

Announced in January 2025, the nomination unraveled by May, torpedoed by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, and a coalition of Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats and skeptical Republicans.

Tillis publicly opposed Martin on May 6, citing Martin's vocal support for January 6 defendants and his role in ‘Stop the Steal’ activism

"If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, I’d probably support him," Tillis said, emphasizing zero tolerance for sympathizers of the now-pardoned political prisoners.

Martin fired or demoted prosecutors handling January 6 cases, launched an internal probe into their conduct, and posted on social media about investigation targets, raising alarms of partisanship. In response, over 100 former D.C. prosecutors labeled him “unworthy,” pointing to his controversial tenure as interim U.S. Attorney.

On May 8, President Trump withdrew Martin’s nomination, naming Fox News host and former prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, as his replacement.

Undeterred, Trump appointed Martin to his current DOJ roles, ensuring his influence in probing alleged DOJ "weaponization."

Tillis’ opposition, coupled with unified Democratic resistance and wavering Republican support, left Martin short of the votes needed for confirmation.

Martin’s interview with Carlson marks the sharpest public accusation of FBI mishandling by a DOJ official, amplifying demands for accountability and raising questions about potential obstruction.

The pipe bomber’s elusiveness, coupled with Martin’s allegations, has deepened public distrust in the FBI’s ability to deliver justice.