Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York pulled a fire alarm in a Congressional office building on Saturday, with the video of him doing so quickly taking the internet by storm and leading many on the right to call for Rep. Bowman to be treated with the same harshness of the January 6 prisoners because he appears to have pulled the alarm with the intent of obstructing an official proceeding.
Now, a fellow member of Congress from New York, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, is stepping in to defend Rep. Bowman despite his having been caught on tape pulling the alarm and his excuse for doing so, that he thought it would open the door, is unbelievable at best.
AOC’s defense of Rep. Bowman came when she appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” over the weekend and discussed the incident with CNN’s Jake Tapper, who brought up that the fire alarm incident and noted that Rep. Bowman’s explanation makes little sense.
“There was an interesting moment over the weekend when your New York colleague Congressman Jamaal Bowman — he’s under investigation for this now after Capitol Police say he pulled a fire alarm in one of the House’s office buildings,” Tapper said.
“Democrats were trying to delay a vote, a final vote on the bill. There he is pulling the fire alarm. He says it was an accident, and he thought pulling the alarm would open a door, based on the fact that the doors to his right there were locked and there was a sign that he said he was — I think someone said it was confusing. I will be honest. That doesn’t really make sense to me, his explanation. Have you talked to him? What’s going on there?” Tapper asked.
AOC stuck by Rep. Bowman, claiming that his explanation does make sense. In her words, “I mean, listen, I think if you actually do see some of the photos of the signs, I think there’s something to be said about, the government’s about to shut down. There’s a vote clock that’s going down. The exits that are normally open in that building were suddenly closed.”
Tapper, to his slight credit, pressed her on that, asking, “So, you pull the fire alarm?” She didn’t back down much, telling Tapper, “So, I’m not — I’m — what I am here to say is that House administration, U.S. Capitol Police, and Jamaal Bowman are in active, and he’s fully participating in saying there was a misunderstanding.”
Then she used the incident to attack Republicans, saying, “But what I do think is important to raise is the fact that Republicans, representatives like Nicole Malliotakis and others, immediately moved to file motions to censure, motions to expel before there has even been conversations that are finished to even see if there was a misunderstanding here.”
Rep. Bowman, for his part, insists that he thought pulling the fire alarm would open the door. “I want to personally clear up confusion surrounding today’s events. Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” Rep. Bowman said.
He continued, “But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open. I also met after the vote with the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police, at their request, and explained what had happened. My hope is that no one will make more of this than it was. I am working hard every day, including today, to do my job, to do it well, and deliver for my constituents.”
Rachel Schilke, a breaking news reporter for the Washington Examiner provided information on the potential legal trouble Rep. Bowman could face. The charges range widely from local misdemeanor to a felony with 30+ years in prison. Her statement on the potential legal charges is quoted below for context and clarity:
It is possible that Bowman could be charged with three crimes and receive a maximum sentence of nearly 36 years, according to D.C. and federal laws.
The lesser of the three offenses is a false emergency report. Under D.C. law, it is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Falsely pulling a fire alarm could also constitute illegal obstruction of congressional proceedings, a felony under federal law 18 U.S.C. § 1505. The felony is punishable by no more than five years. The law calls for eight years if the offense involves domestic or international terrorism, which could not apply in Bowman’s case.
Bowman’s act could also conceivably be tried as an obstruction of justice charge under D.C. law, which includes “corruptly, or by threats of force, any way obstructs or impedes or endeavors to obstruct or impede the due administration of justice in any official proceeding.” This Class A felony would carry a punishment of at least three years and no more than 30 years and a fine as low as $12,500.
The report further stated that Bowman could face 35+ years in jail if he’s given consecutive sentences, but it’s more likely to be sentenced concurrently which reduces the years in prison.
Watch:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defends fellow Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulling the fire alarm to delay a House vote, saying people shouldn't judge "before there has even been conversations that are finished to even see if there was a misunderstanding here" pic.twitter.com/FOYlPV6L64
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 1, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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