A mini-insurrection took place in the U.S. Capitol Building on Saturday and it’s still making news this week.
In an impossible-to-believe story, Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York says he mistakenly triggered a fire alarm in a congressional office building Saturday afternoon as the House of Representatives was on the verge of passing a continuing resolution to avert a potential government shutdown.
Democrats, at the time, were working feverishly to delay the vote which makes the ironic twist of Bowman’s fire alarm stunt all that more intriguing.
As the New York Post reports, more and more lawmakers are calling for Bowman to fess up and face the consequences of his actions:
A growing chorus of lawmakers and political observers are raising eyebrows at Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s claim that pulling a fire alarm in a House building was an innocent mistake — with some expressing anger over the fact he hasn’t been arrested.
The outspoken socialist New York lawmaker was caught on camera pulling a fire alarm Saturday, around the time fellow Democrats were scrambling over the GOP’s last-minute offer to avert a government shutdown.
“Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote,” his chief of staff, Sarah Iddrissu, later wrote on social media. “The Congressman regrets any confusion.”
But Bowman’s response to his pulling the clearly-labeled fire alarm in the Canaan House Office Building left many scratching their heads — and some of his fiercest GOP critics called on him to be thrown behind bars over the incident.
Impeding a Congressional action is not merely some kind of minor violation, it’s actually a full-blown felony, as Rep. Elise Stefanik pointed out:
A Democrat Member of Congress just committed a felony by pulling the fire alarm to try to delay and stop a Congressional vote to fund the government.
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) September 30, 2023
Bowman could face up to three years in prison if convicted of intentionally trying to delay a congressional vote, which he clearly was.
Democrats have been big proponents of protecting democracy when that democracy was on their side. Now that the shoe’s on the other foot, impeding a vote to avert a government shutdown by pulling a fire alarm is no big deal, he was mistaken by the word “fire alarm” and thought it would open the door.
Had it been, for example, Rep. Matt Gaetz pulling a fire alarm, you can bet Democrats would be on the front line screaming incoherently about protecting democracy from right-wing MAGA extremist Republicans!
However, Bowman’s getting defended by his colleagues for making a “simple mistake” at a critical time when delaying a vote was exactly what his progressive caucus was trying to do.
The video of Bowman hasn’t been released, just the still shot of him intentionally pulling the fire alarm near a door:
BREAKING: Capitol police release photo of Jamaal Bowman pulling the fire alarm. pic.twitter.com/XpUoEu9lU4
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 30, 2023
The door in question, if you notice, exits to the outside which means it legally must be operable from the inside in case of, ironically, a fire. Bowman’s claim that the door was somehow locked or closed when it’s normally open doesn’t hold water.
Where’s the video of Bowman’s escapade? Did he panic at the door that was “usually open” and look around for a switch only to accidentally trigger the fire alarm? Why is he being protected?
Bowman will likely get away with it since he has the right party affiliation next to his name and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has no backbone.
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