New York Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman pled guilty to a single misdemeanor Thursday after he appeared to obstruct a federal proceeding by pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol office building. The disruption forced the occupants to evacuate for 90 minutes as lawmakers scrambled to avoid a government shutdown in September.
Bowman, a far-left “squad” member who smeared demonstrators at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as “violent insurrectionists” whose “terrorist attack” warranted a federal crackdown, will pay a $1,000 fine and serve three months of probation. The fire alarm charge will then be “dismissed from his record under an agreement with prosecutors,” according to the Associated Press.
The two-term lawmaker claimed to reporters on Capitol Hill that he was “in a rush” and pulled the fire alarm after assuming the alert system that says “FIRE” on it would unlock the door.
“I tried the door, it didn’t work so I pulled the alarm thinking it would open. That didn’t work, so I went downstairs,” Bowman said. “It was a dumb choice, but you know, it is what it is.”
The alarm forced the Cannon House office building to evacuate as Democrats were trying to delay the vote.
“I really regret that this caused so much confusion and that people had to evacuate, and I just caused a disturbance. I hate that. It’s pretty embarrassing,” Bowman said following his plea.
Ginny Gentles, the director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum, pointed out on X
