Former President Donald Trump has joined in discussion over Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) recent fire alarm incident, describing it as more concerning than the 2021 Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, when some Trump supporters trespassed onto restricted government grounds to protest the certifying of the 2020 election amid calls for investigations into election fraud.
On Sept. 30 ahead of a House vote on a government funding bill, Mr. Bowman pulled the fire alarm on a door at the Cannon House Office while his fellow Democrats were attempting to postpone the vote during the House proceedings.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept.27, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Mr. Bowman has since admitted to activating the alarm. However, he has denied any intention to delay the vote, explaining that he mistakenly thought the pull-down trigger in the fire alarm box would open the door. He expressed regret for the confusion caused and sincerely apologized for his actions. An investigation into why it was pulled is underway.
Numerous New York Republicans too have criticized Bowman’s actions. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference, said that “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.”
President Trump joins a chorus of Republicans drawing parallels to Jan. 6. On Sept. 30, Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had also compared Mr. Bowman’s actions to the storming of the Capitol on Jan, 6, 2021.
“I think [House] Ethics should look at this but this is serious, when you think of how other people are treated when they wanted to come in and change the course of what was happening in this building,” Mr. McCarthy said.
“I’m going to have a discussion with the Democratic leader about it but this should not go without punishment. This is an embarrassment.”
In his 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 that dozens face in connection with their unlawful acts upon illegally entering a restricted government area on Jan. 6, 2021. At that time, the joint session of Congress was temporarily interrupted when a sizable group of protesters broke into the Capitol building.
The first protesters to breach the U.S. Capitol confront police at 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times
Implying that Mr. Bowman should face similar charges to those arrested for their actions on Jan. 6, the former president said, “he must suffer their same fate. When will his trial begin?” in his post on Truth Social, a social media platform created by President Trump’s own media and technology company.
President Trump launched the platform after he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook following the chaos and violence on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol Building. He was accused of allegedly posting content that incited violence, which he continues to deny.
President Trump added, “Will Congressman Jamal Bowman be prosecuted and imprisoned for very dangerously pulling and setting off the main fire alarm system in order to stop a Congressional vote that was going on in D.C.”
The Republican 2024 frontrunner is currently facing indictments related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, following a December 2022 report by the anti-Trump House Jan. 6 Committee on the Capitol breach, which recommended that the Department of Justice consider at least four criminal charges. The report alleged that the former president was involved in obstruction and insurrection in a “multi-part conspiracy” aimed at overturning the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Republicans at the time responded to the report, blasting the Democrat-led committee for ignoring the security failings they said contributed to the chaos and violence seen on Jan. 6.
A special counsel appointed by the DOJ has since indicted President Trump with obstruction and conspiracy charges in relation to the collection and counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump said at the time that the proceedings would give him an opportunity to expose information about improprieties in the election.
