Socialist Congressman Jamaal Bowman pulled the fire alarm, delaying the vote on the GOP's stopgap spending bill
The situation occurred hours before a pending government shutdown. Republicans are accusing Democrats of torpedoing the process.
(Wikimedia Commons- United States Capitol Police)
In a marathon day in the House of Representatives, socialist Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is being accused of pulling the House's fire alarm to delay the vote on the Republican Party's stopgap spending bill, which seeks to avoid a government shutdown.
The unusual incident, which seems like something out of the iconic series House of Cards, was captured by security cameras. Now Republicans are calling for Rep. Bowman's expulsion and arrest.
A spokesperson for the GOP-controlled Administration Committee told Politico that Bowman "pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning."
The spokesperson indicated that the incident is being investigated.
A spokesperson for the socialist congressman admitted that he made “a mistake,” but denied that he did it on purpose.
“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,” his spokesperson said.
Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) told the New York Post that Bowman's attempt to delay the vote was "pathetic" and required a criminal investigation. Other New York congressmen, such as Nicole Malliotakis, said they would call for the Socialist representative's expulsion from the lower chamber.
Other congressmen went further and demanded the socialist representative get jail time.
“Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled the fire alarm in the Cannon building this afternoon and interrupted the official proceedings of the House as Republicans worked to keep the government open,” wrote Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“I’m calling on the DOJ to prosecute him using the same law they used to prosecute J6 defendants for interfering with an official proceeding. The Democrats literally will do anything to shut OUR government down because billions aren’t going to their favorite country: Ukraine," she added.
Creating a false fire alarm is considered a misdemeanor in the District of Columbia. It is punishable by up to six months in prison.
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