Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) has finally been charged for triggering a fire alarm in the Cannon House office building in an attempt to postpone an 11th-hour vote to avert a shutdown.
Bowman’s arraignment is slated for Thursday morning.
According to the arrest warrant, a review of the security shows that Bowman “approached the exit door” and “proceeded to push the right-side exit door’s push bar while grabbing the sign on it. When the right-side door did not open, the defendant then pushed the left-side door push bar, but that door did not open either. The defendant then turned to his left, looked at the emergency fire alarm pull station, and upon seeing it, he reached out and pulled the fire alarm down. Immediately afterwards, the defendant turned to his left, away from the exit doors. The defendant walked away from those doors without looking back at them or trying to push them open.”
Bowman was charged under District of Columbia Code § 22–1319, and would normally face as much as six months in prison if convicted. However, Bowman told Fox News that he has a plea agreement with prosecutors that will require him to pay a $1,000 fine and “stay out of trouble for three months.”
Bowman has long claimed that he never intended to trigger the fire alarm or postpone the vote.
“But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote,” Bowman said in a statement after the incident. “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.”
However, a review of the evidence makes it clear that there was no reason for Bowman to mistakenly believe that pulling the alarm might open the doors. In addition, a sign posted several feet before the door (which Bowman had to walk past) noted it was an emergency exit only. Also, there was signage on both doors reading: “EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. PUSH UNTIL ALARM SOUNDS (3 SECONDS). DOOR WILL UNLOCK IN 30 SECONDS.” Photos also show the fire alarm was a clearly marked alarm that requires multiple actions to trigger.
For our VIPs: All The Evidence You Need That Rep. Bowman Did Not ‘Accidentally’ Pull the Fire Alarm
It remains to be seen if the New York congressman will still be charged under federal law for violating 18 U.S. Code 1512(c), which states that “Whoever corruptly … obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.” That said, it seems unlikely that the Biden Justice Department will charge him.
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