His reason went up in smoke.
Fire alarm image that Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled up in the House office building as his fellow Democrats tried to delay a key vote to fund the government apparently pouring cold water on his claims that the move was just a big mistake.
The bright red alarm is clearly marked with the word “FIRE” — and sits right next to two signs that provide clear details on how to open the emergency doors in the Cannon House Office Building, photos show.
“Emergency Exit Only!” signs are read. “Push until the alarm sounds (3 seconds). The door will open in 30 seconds.”
The brutal socialist New York lawmaker, whose crimes were caught on surveillance video, only had to look to the right to see the signs ringing.
But Bowman claims he thought pulling the alarm would open the door.
“Today, as I was rushing to vote, I came to a door that is usually open for the vote but today would not be open,” Bowman said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
New York Socialist Representative Jamaal Bowman claims he pulled the fire alarm in the House office building when he mistakenly tried to open the door on his right. New USCP images show the alarm clearly marked, casting doubt on its reasoning. Breitbart News “Emergency Exit Only!” signs are read. “Push until the alarm sounds (3 seconds). The door will open in 30 seconds.” Breitbart News
“I am ashamed 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 has caused.”
Sarah Iddrissu, his chief of staff, added in a statement on social media that, “Congressman Bowman didn’t realize he was going to set off the building alarm because he was rushing to make a quick vote.”
But many lawmakers and political observers aren’t buying it — with a growing chorus of Republicans on Sunday accusing Bowman of sounding the alarm as a tactic to delay a House vote on the GOP stopgap spending bill.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) claimed that Rep. New York’s Jamaal Bowman pulled the fire alarm in the House office building on Saturday to give Democrats time to stall negotiations to avoid a government shutdown. He denied the allegation.AP
“This is not confusing at all,” former Michigan Republican congressman Justin Amash wrote on X. “There’s a push bar on the door under the sign. Members of Congress see these signs all the time and know exactly what they mean.
“I can’t imagine that it has anything to do with the pull of the fire alarm on the wall,” Amash added. “Stop excusing his carelessness.”
The wildfire alarm incident, which prompted the evacuation of the Cannon Building at about noon Saturday, comes as Democrats scramble for a last-minute GOP bid to avoid a government shutdown.
Some of Bowman’s critics, including former President Donald Trump, say he should be arrested and charged for allegedly trying to obstruct official government proceedings.
“Are Congressmen [Jamaal] Bowman will be prosecuted and imprisoned for pulling and setting off a highly dangerous fire alarm system to stop a Congressional vote taking place in DC,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“It’s a very dangerous ‘Obstruction of Official Proceedings’, just like the one used against our J-6 detainees. Actually, his actions could have been worse,” said the former president, referring to the Jan 6 riots in 2021.
Bowman has drawn criticism after pulling the fire alarm at a House office building on Saturday as lawmakers hammered out a deal to avoid a government shutdown. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) echoed similar sentiments — also evoking the defendants who allegedly tried to stop the certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory during riots at the US Capitol — when calling out Bowman.
“Jamaal Bowman must be treated the same as the Jan 6 defendant. He’s a school principal,” Greene said at X.
“He knows exactly what it means to pull the fire alarm. He did it while the Dems were trying to adjourn for the Senate and the Dem whip had just called for a motion to adjourn.
Obstructing official government proceedings is illegal under federal law punishable by a fine and “not more than 20 years.”
Bowman on Saturday insisted to reporters that he was not trying to prevent anything – and was just being deceptive.
“I was in a hurry to vote. I tried to enter through the door,” he said. “I thought the alarm would open the door. I didn’t mean to cause confusion.
“I want to be very clear, this is not me, in any way, trying to delay the vote,” he added. “It was the other way around – I tried immediately to get a vote, which I eventually did.”
Capitol Police said they were investigating the incident, and on Saturday released a still image of Bowman pulling the trigger.
The Republican-controlled House Administration Committee has also launched an investigation.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
