FBI reexamining Dobbs opinion leak, D.C. pipe bombs and White House cocaine cases

The FBI is refocusing on three, high-profile cases that emerged just before and during the Biden administration, Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the FBI, announced Monday on X.

The FBI wants to revive or invest more resources into cases that Bongino said pointed to “potential public corruption,” including the investigation into a pair of undetonated pipe bombs left near the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, and the discovery of a bag of cocaine at the White House over July 4 weekend in 2023.

The third case getting renewed scrutiny is the 2022 leak of the unpublished Supreme Court Dobbs decision, which ended federal protections for abortion. An eight month investigation into the leak, ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts, was unable to identify the person responsible.

“Shortly after swearing in, [FBI Director Kash Patel] and I evaluated a number of cases of potential public corruption that, understandably, have garnered public interest. We made the decision to either re-open, or push additional resources and investigative attention, to these cases,” Bongino posted on X.

He continued, “I receive requested briefings on these cases weekly and we are making progress. If you have any investigative tips on these matters that may assist us then please contact the FBI.”

NPR reached out to the FBI for additional information, but did not hear back before this story published.

The pipe bomb case has remained open since the devices were discovered over four years ago. In January, the FBI released new details and a video showing a potential suspect leaving the pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC buildings the night before the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Authorities said they conducted 1,000 interviews, reviewed 39,000 video files and sifted through some 600 tips — but the alleged bomber remains elusive.

The White House cocaine case began when the drug was found stashed in a cubby hole near the Situation Room, where officials store cell phones during meetings.

The U.S. Secret Service stopped looking for the owner of the dime bag of cocaine about 10 days after it was first discovered on July 2, 2023, citing a lack of physical evidence.

Prior to taking a role at the FBI, Bongino had suggested the cocaine belonged to a member of the Biden family. A few days after it was found, he wrote on X, “There’s absolutely ZERO chance anyone other than a family member brought that cocaine inside the White House complex.”

President Biden and his family were away at the time and the West Wing is frequented by visitors and tours.