Far-left New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman was charged with misconduct Wednesday after he pulled the fire alarm last month as the House voted on spending legislation to avert a partial government shutdown.
Bowman, 47, was due to be booked and processed by Capitol Police Thursday on charges of raising a false fire alarm, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
He struck a deal with DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb to have his charges dropped within three months if the congressman issued a formal apology to Capitol Police and paid a $1,000 fine, Bowman’s office told The Post.
In an affidavit filed in Washington, DC, Superior Court on Wednesday, a Capitol Police investigator said Bowman testified that the emergency exit “was the normal door he used” during the polls and “he didn’t tell anybody” about the violation until “Sgt. .at Arms contacted him.”
Bowman also denied that he “intended to cause a fire alarm,” “intended to create a safety concern,” or “intended to disrupt or obstruct the proceedings of Congress.”
The wild incident at the Cannon Building was captured on camera.
He went on to say that a sign inside the Cannon House Office Building read: “emergency exits only need to be opened.”
Investigators stated that the sign actually stated: “Emergency Exit Just Press Until Alarm Sounds (3 Seconds) Door Will Open In 30 Seconds.”
Security camera footage reviewed by investigators also revealed Bowman “jogging” down the stairs from the emergency exit he tried to open and then “walking at a normal pace” as he left the building onto New Jersey Ave.
Representative Jamaal Bowman was charged with misconduct on Wednesday. Rod Lamkey – CNP Bowman has insisted it was an honest mistake, but images show alarms and emergency exits clearly marked. Breitbart News
The lawmaker went after at least seven Capitol Police officers without alerting him to his actions, according to the footage, which resulted in the House office building being evacuated for an hour and a half.
The investigator concluded based on the evidence that there was “probable cause to believe that the defendant knowingly or knowingly provided a false fire alarm in the District of Columbia.”
“I am grateful from the District of Columbia Attorney General’s office on this issue and grateful that the Attorney General of the United States Capitol Police agreed that I did not obstruct or intend to obstruct any House vote or proceeding,” Bowman said in a statement following the charges. .
“I was responsible for activating the fire alarm, I will pay the fine issued, and hope that this charge will eventually be dropped,” he added.
Rep. Bowman pulled this fire alarm. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of six months. Breitbart News
“I think we all know that Republicans are going to try to use this to distract everyone from their mess, but I’m looking forward to putting this behind me and continuing to work hard to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Bowman’s office had previously circulated a discussion memo saying that Republicans should be more concerned about “Nazis” in their midst than drawing attention to the fire alarm incident.
The “Squad” congressman later issued a mea culpa for the wording of the memo, saying it was released “without my consent.”
“I condemn the use of the term Nazi outside of its precise definition,” he wrote in X at the time. “It is important to specify the term Nazi to refer to members of the Nazi party & neo-Nazis.”
A conservative watchdog has filed a separate complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics, saying Bowman has failed to conduct himself “in a manner that reflects creditably on the House.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
