Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pulled a fire alarm in the Capitol during Congressional proceedings, a fact which is not in dispute and which has been captured on video. Bowman, who acknowledged the act, has been accused by Republicans of using the fire alarm shenanigans to delay a vote. In a statement issued shortly after the incident, Bowman said this is not the case.
“I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door,” Bowman said in the statement. The Congressman said he was trying to get to a vote, not delay a vote. Whether the act was truly meant to open a door or whether it, perhaps more plausibly, was meant to cause disruption in the chamber, “embarrassed” is a fitting description because as a result the Congressman has had to defend himself and has forced other Dems, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, into awkward defensive positions too. (Many taking Bowman’s side say the vote was going the Democrats’ way, so why delay it?)
Statement from Congressman Jamaal Bowman. pic.twitter.com/v6qjdHNI7T
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) October 1, 2023
One interesting outcome is that whatever his motive, Bowman appears to have exhibited “disorderly” and “disruptive” conduct — a fire alarm is, after all, designed to disrupt normal activities; it is an alarm.
This makes Bowman’s actions fresh fodder for the “two-tiered justice system” narrative, because as a result of his pulling the alarm the Congressman is facing having potentially committed a violation of 40 usc 5104(e)(2)(d).
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy poured gas on this fire, saying a Bowman investigation should consider “how other people were treated when they come in and wanted to change the course of what was happening in the building” — a reference to January 6.
A lot of Jan. 6 defendants charged with 5104 disorderly/disruptive conduct in a Capitol building are going to be very interested in the outcome of this episode. https://t.co/axn5xeC19D
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 30, 2023
As journalist Kyle Cheney points out on X, the 5104 charge is a “staple misdemeanor charge against Jan. 6 defendants.” In other words, broadly, the MAGA question will become if Bowman can cause such disruption in the Capitol why can’t Jacob Chansley?
Here’s the language of 40 usc 5104(e)(2)(d), a staple misdemeanor charge against Jan. 6 defendants. pic.twitter.com/Cqlpwgv8RP
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 30, 2023
