Newly released video of Jamaal Bowman pulling fire alarm contradicts his explanation
A newly released security video shows the fire alarm incident with progressive Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, and it contradicts his previous statements.
Bowman initially said that he accidentally pulled the fire alarm at the Cannon House Office Building because he was rushing to get to a congressional vote.
The new video released Thursday appears to show Bowman removing an emergency sign and not even trying to open the door. It was widely circulated on social media:
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On Wednesday, Bowman said that he would plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of falsely pulling a fire alarm and pay a $1,000 fine. The affidavit documented that there were three signs warning that the door was an emergency exit.
"I hate that. It's pretty embarrassing."
"I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped," Bowman said.
After appearing in court for the charge on Thursday, Bowman told ABC News he regretted his actions and called the incident embarrassing.
"I regret Capitol Police resources needed to be used to respond to that. I'm glad no one was hurt," he said.
"I really regret that this caused so much confusion and that people had to evacuate and I just caused a disturbance," he continued. "I hate that. It's pretty embarrassing."
The Democrat has faced ridicule and mockery from critics online and some in Congress have even called for his expulsion. In a bizarre development, his office sent out talking points to Democrats to defend him, but one compared his Republican critics to Nazis.
Bowman had to apologize for the inappropriate epithet and blamed it on his staff.
"I just became aware that in our messaging guidance, there was inappropriate use of the term Nazi without my consent," Bowman responded in a statement on social media.
"I condemn the use of the term Nazi out of its precise definition," he continued. "It is important to specify the term Nazi to refer to members of the Nazi party & neo-Nazis."
Bowman could have faced up to six months in jail for falsely pulling the fire alarm.
Here's more about Bowman's folly:
BREAKING NEWS: Jamaal Bowman Faces Reporters' Questions After Pleading Guilty To Pulling Fire Alarm www.youtube.com
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Jamaal Bowman will plead guilty to falsely pulling fire alarm and pay a fine
Progressive Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York will face a misdemeanor charge for falsely pulling a fire alarm at the Cannon House Office Building during budget negotiations at the end of September.
Bowman was widely criticized and ridiculed for the incident after he claimed that he got confused on the way to voting in Congress.
On Wednesday, Capitol Police said they had referred Bowman for prosecution after concluding an investigation. He was ordered to appear at a D.C. Superior Court on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. on a misdemeanor charge of making a false fire alarm.
Bowman said in a statement to Axios that he will plead guilty to the charge and agree to pay a $1,000 fine.
"I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped," Bowman said.
The D.C. General Attorney's Office confirmed the plea deal to Axios.
Bowman initially explained his actions to reporters after the incident.
"I thought the alarm would open the door," he said.
A spokesperson for his office later elaborated on the reasoning.
"Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote. The Congressman regrets any confusion," the statement read.
There were three posted signs proclaiming the door an emergency exit, according to the affidavit.
Bowman could have faced up to six months in prison for the charge.
Some Republicans have demanded that Bowman be expelled from Congress while others said he must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Bowman's office sent out talking points comparing his detractors to Nazis, but he later claimed that his staff sent out the statement without his approval.
Here's more about the fire alarm incident:
Jamaal Bowman addresses fire alarm incident after pulling alarm | LiveNOW from FOX www.youtube.com
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Democrat Jamaal Bowman attempts to explain why he pulled Capitol fire alarm – but somehow makes things worse for himself: Photos
Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York was caught on video pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol office building on Saturday shortly before a House vote to avert a government shutdown. The progressive politician and member of the so-called "Squad" is offering an explanation as to why he triggered the fire alarm – but many aren't buying it.
Ahead of the critical House vote to avoid a government shutdown, Bowman is seen pulling a fire alarm at the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday afternoon.
Bowman – a principal for more than 10 years – claimed that he set off the fire alarm because he believed it would open a door.
"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 in a statement. "I'm embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door."
Bowman asserted that his actions were not "in any way trying to delay any vote," adding, "It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I did."
The Democrat said he met with the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police at their request following the incident.
He concluded, "My hope is that no one will make more of this than it was."
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However, many are saying that Bowman may have committed crimes by pulling the fire alarm during the critical vote in Congress. Bowman's actions were compared to non-violent participants of the January 6 Capitol riot.
Lawyer Harmeet K. Dhillon: "Whoever put this statement out, or gave legal advice on it, or tried to cover it up with lies, is part of a criminal conspiracy to interfere with the operations of our revered Congress. RICO charges for all involved! Isn’t that how it works?"
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah): "Does anyone believe the 'I thought the fire alarm would open the door' line?"
Journalist Jake Sherman: "For those who work on Capitol Hill — or even those who don’t — this makes no sense. 1) have you in your life ever activated a fire alarm in a large public building to open a door? 2) there are tunnels that take you from this building straight to the Capitol. It’s very easy. I do it daily."
Commentator Siraj Hashmi: "Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who doesn’t give his political opponents the benefit of the doubt, is asking his political opponents to give him the benefit of the doubt."
Lawyer David Freiheit: "There is a photo from security footage, so obviously there is a video. Can we see the video to see if confirms or contradicts @JamaalBowmanNY’s version of events? Because committing a misdemeanor to impede Congress could land him in jail. For a very, very long time. No one is above the law, after all. Right?"
Political correspondent Byron York: "'Whoever corruptly...obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.' Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman set off fire alarm to disrupt House work on averting a government shutdown. Triggered evacuation of House office building."
Journalist Julie Kelly: "Rep. Bowman clearly violated numerous laws including 1512(c)(2) obstruction of an official proceeding. At least 320 Jan 6 defendants including Donald Trump have been charged with this felony count. This includes defendants who didn’t enter the building."
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told Fox News: "That any member of Congress would think it’s appropriate to pull a fire alarm to try and delay Congress from doing its business is shameful, it’s unbecoming, and he should strongly consider resigning from Congress if he did that."
Journalist John Hasson posted photos of the exit area where Bowman pulled the alarm.
There is no button to open the doors, they must be opened manually.
There is a bright red sign indicating that this exit is an "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY."
At one point, there were two red signs on the doors that read: "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY PUSH UNTIL ALARM SOUNDS (3 SECONDS) DOOR WILL UNLOCK IN 30 SECONDS."
The two signs on the door don't appear in the photo from the moment that Bowman pulled the fire alarm.
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