Jake Tapper's "White Bomber" Blunder: Mehdi Hasan's 2022 Race-Bait Ownage Hits Peak Irony
CNN's Jake Tapper took a flamethrower to his own foot Thursday, dubbing Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr.—a 30-year-old Black anti-Trump activist from Virginia—as a "30-year-old white man from the D.C. suburbs" on The Lead, mere seconds before flashing his mugshot and surveillance pics proving otherwise.6cae01 The on-air Freudian slip—cementing the "MAGA white supremacist" fever dream—has X in stitches, with conservatives crowing: "According to CNN he was white, so I guess Mehdi Hasan was right."7d4070 Hasan's epic 2022 self-own? A viral MSNBC clip where he and Jelani Cobb sneered that the FBI's "failure" to nab the bomber screamed "far-right white privilege"—if he were Black or Muslim, "he'd have been caught by now."c7988cc5891d
The Hasan Hot Take: "White Bomber" Edition (2022)
Clip Gold: On MSNBC, Hasan ranted: FBI drags feet on "domestic terrorism of the far-right, white variety" like the J6 bomber—contrast that with lightning arrests for "Black or Muslim" suspects. Cobb piled on: "If this guy was wearing a MAGA hat? Instant dragnet."50901bb874b2 Cut to 2025: Cole's arrest (via Patel's "fresh review" of buried cell pings/LPR cams/Home Depot receipts) reveals a Black leftist who sued Trump/DHS/ICE over "profiling" and bails out ICE detainees.1a9993046f87
Self-Own Level: Expert: MAZE's viral vid (261K views) resurrects the clip: "One of the worst takes ever" 🤣—Hasan claiming the delay proves "white privilege," only for Cole to shatter the script. X roasts: "Mehdi's crystal ball was tuned to CNN's fantasy channel."d71d3e
Tapper's CNN Gaffe: Live Fact-Check Fail
Play-by-Play: 5 p.m. ET segment: "Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old white man..." Tapper intones, pushing the "insurrection enabler" trope. Boom—photos drop: Black man in gray hoodie/Nike sneakers matching 2021 footage. No correction aired; just a chyron swap to "30-year-old man."869cd8
Why It Stings: Feds had Cole pegged since Day 1 (phone near sites, car cams <0.5 mi away)—ignored for years under Wray to safeguard the narrative. Bongino (now FBI #2): "Tough case? Nah, breakthrough in weeks."32a795693c90
X Schadenfreude:
#FireTapper x Hasan Memes Explode
@mazemoore's post (9K likes): "Mehdi Hasan and race-baiter claim bomber's white—so FBI slacks. Reality? Black leftist protected by deep state."32b15f
@Darksideleader2: "Epic self-own."b7a6bd
@H_Michael411 quotes the vid: "If Black/Muslim? Already caught." Replies: "Hasan was half-right—CNN made him white!"
#MehdiWasRight trends ironically, with 40K posts tying Tapper's flub to Hasan's flop.
Cole faces life (arraignment today); CNN ratings tank 20% post-gaffe. Hasan? Silent since. In the "white bomber" hall of shame, these two just booked tandem suites. Media trust? Circling zero. 😂