“The hard part would be coming up with the explosive material inside the pipe, and the blasting cap to set it off. That’s what the bomb sniffing dogs would smell.”
I think there was no explosive charge in the pipes. It was a training device, used by cops all over the country, especially the feds. More for visual identification training than dog-sniffing devices.
It was empty (or full of inactive material for weight) with a standard rocket ignitor in on end, though, for visual consistency. Nobody seems to have asked if the device had an active explosive charge in it.
“Sherwin responded that both scenarios would be explored during the investigation but he emphasized that the devices were “real” and contained “explosive igniters.””
Uh huh. The ignitors were likely deactivated, for safety reasons, which is easy to do. Soak in water overnight, or similar. And likely any batteries were inert as well.
Visual training devices are not controlled very closely. The training devices for dogs have traces of actual explosive material, so the dogs can find them, and are very tightly controlled. Need to be signed in and out, serial numbered, etc.
No video available to show someone actually planting them. Uh huh.
My guess is either some dufus forgot to pick them back up after the visual sweep, or an insider planted them there right before the bru-haha. But regardless, all the cops knew immediately what it was: an inert training device. (And their communications will indicate so. Oops, they got erased.) Dogs couldn’t smell the inert devices, as intended.
Hence the nonchalance.
The Keystone Kops know durn well what happened. They’re too embarrassed to say so.
Kommiela Harris was at the DNC HQ while the bomb was there. What was she doing there rather than at the Capitol?