New York Representative Jamaal Bowman was criminally charged on Wednesday for pulling a fire alarm in a Congressional office building during last month’s budget negotiation. Bowman’s actions, which resulted in a temporary evacuation and a delay of the proceedings in the House of Representatives, have landed the Democratic congressman with a court summons, a misdemeanor charge, and a possible six-month jail sentence.
According to documents levied against Bowman on Wednesday afternoon, the freshman congressman is charged with one misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm in violation of DC Code §22-1319(a).
Bowman is required to appear before the Washington DC Superior Court at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday. Failure to do so will result in a warrant being issued for his arrest. The penalty for the false alarm could be up to six months in jail.
As Valuetainment previously reported, voting on the House’s contentious continuing resolution was significantly delayed when a fire alarm sounded in the House Cannon Office Building across the street from the Capitol. Security camera footage captured near an emergency exit shows a man identified as Congressman Jamaal Bowman pulling the clearly marked fire alarm.
Here is Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York pulling the fire alarm so Democrats wouldn’t have to vote.
Democrats will do *anything* to shut down the government. pic.twitter.com/lk3yA0p5Hx
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 30, 2023
Bowman denied any malicious intent, claiming that he had merely been attempting to open the door in his hurry to return to the legislative session. “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,” Bowman said at the time. “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.”
The temporary budget solution eventually passed once the session resumed, averting a government shutdown until November.
While the threat of six months in jail seems to be a harsh punishment, it comes as a mere slap on the wrist compared to what Bowman’s critics across the aisle were hoping for. Several Republicans backed a motion to expel him from Congress entirely, and others called for him to face the same punishments as the January 6 “insurrectionists.”
Bowman has not yet commented on the court summons or his intent to comply.
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