The two-tiered system of justice in Washington, D.C., struck again this week after Democratic socialist Jamaal Bowman, a member of "the Squad," inked a deal with D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb after he pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building. Instead of being charged with a felony, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.
"What I did was against D.C. law. As I said from the very beginning, I was not trying to disrupt any congressional proceedings. I got to take responsibility for it, which I am here to do," Bowman claimed, surrounded by reporters. "Three months from now, it will be dismissed [expunged from his record], and I'll be able to continue serving my district."
Bowman claimed he "accidentally" pulled the fire alarm, mistaking it for a door, while rushing to the House floor in the U.S. Capitol for votes. Coincidentally, Republicans were readying votes on a government funding bill to avoid a government shutdown. His actions caused the congressional building to be evacuated.
But new video released this week shows Bowman is a liar. Not only did he deliberately pull the fire alarm in an effort to disrupt votes, he stopped to read the signs that clearly noted the alarms and took them down, proceeding to pull the alarm and disrupt the work of Congress.
Bowman lied about his efforts to delay votes because the matter is very serious and usually carries a penalty of prison time.
U.S. code states, "Section 1505 outlaws obstructing congressional or federal administrative proceedings, a crime punishable by imprisonment not more than five years."
In addition to disruption of an official proceeding, Bowman deserves an obstruction of justice by deception charge — which carries a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
"In addition to the obstruction of justice provisions of 18 U.S.C. 1503 and 1512, there are four other general statutes that outlaw obstructing the government's business by deception. Three involve perjury: 18 U.S.C. 1623 that outlaws false swearing before federal courts and grand juries; 18 U.S.C. 1621 the older and more general prohibition that proscribes false swearing in federal official matters (judicial, legislative, or administrative); and 18 U.S.C. 1622 that condemns subornation, that is, inducing another to commit perjury," the law states. "The fourth, 18 U.S.C. 1001, proscribes material false statements concerning any matter within the jurisdiction of a federal executive branch agency, and to a somewhat more limited extent with the jurisdiction of the federal courts or a congressional entity."
Bowman, of course, faces neither, given his status as a Democrat in a D.C. justice system that favors criminal behavior by members of his political party while offering zero tolerance or grace to Republicans. And while Bowman walks free, with a $1,000 fine and an obligation to write a letter apologizing for his behavior, grandmothers who walked through the open door of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are being prosecuted for felony "trespassing" and falsely accused of attempting to disrupt congressional proceedings.
This isn't a double standard – it's a violation of civil liberties and constitutional rights. Bowman should be held accountable for his brazen actions, which are on video for the world to see. At a minimum, Republican leadership should launch an ethics investigation into his actions and lies to punish him accordingly.
