Democrat Congressman Charged With Pulling Fire Alarm at Capitol Hill

U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 22, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) was charged with a misdemeanor on Oct. 25 for falsely activating a fire alarm at a congressional building on Capitol Hill last month.

Court documents in D.C. Superior Court say the New York lawmaker knowingly pulled the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Sept. 30 while the House prepared to vote on stopgap government funding legislation that Democrats were attempting to postpone.

The affidavit in support of the arrest warrant for Mr. Bowman notes that the alarm led to the evacuation of the Cannon building. The document pointed to security footage that showed Mr. Bowman approaching a set of doors and, after he attempts to exit, pulling the fire alarm, then walking away from the exit doors.

Mr. Bowman acknowledged activating the alarm at the time, but denied intentionally doing so for the purpose of delaying the vote, saying that he mistakenly thought the pull-down trigger in the alarm box would open the door. He also said that he was in a panic to return to the floor for the vote.

Numerous New York Republicans have criticized Mr. Bowman’s actions in response to the incident.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) called for the lawmaker to be expelled, saying shortly after the incident, “This is the United States Congress, not a New York City high school, and that this action warrants expulsion.”

Ms. Malliotakis also cited the irony of Mr. Bowman’s actions, pointing to his previous career.

“Of all people, a high school principal knows what a fire alarm does. No one is buying the excuses & he must be held accountable!” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for an investigation of Mr. Bowman’s actions at the time.

“I think ethics should look at this,” during a news conference after the temporary government funding bill was approved by the House. He went on to say that Mr. Bowman’s actions “should not go without punishment.”

Former President Donald Trump has also weighed in on the New York Democrat’s actions, describing it as more worrisome than the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, when Trump supporters entered restricted government grounds to protest the certifying of the 2020 election amid calls for investigations into election fraud.

In a social media post, President Trump said: “It was a very dangerous ‘Obstruction of an Official Proceeding,’ the same as used against our J-6 prisoners. Actually, his act may have been worse.”

“Obstruction of an Official Proceeding” is the same charge brought against dozens in connection with the Jan. 6 riots, which led to a temporary interruption of the joint session of Congress.

Mr. Bowman’s office didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.