If there was one person happy about the drama that broke out among House Republicans earlier this month, it’s Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) successful motion to vacate, which booted Speaker Kevin McCarthy over a deal made between the California Republican and House Democrats to avert a government shutdown, led to three weeks of mayhem most in the GOP conference would like to forget. It did provide a shield for Bowman, who faced a backlash over his fire alarm fiasco on the day of the vote to avert the government shutdown.
Bowman pulled the fire alarm in Cannon, which pushed Republicans to censure or expel the New York liberal, who claimed he was in a rush. He also said he mistook the fire alarm for a button to open the door. It was ridiculous and became a public relations nightmare until the GOP’s internal drama suffocated the story. Was Bowman ever going to get expelled or thrown in jail? He did commit a crime, but none of that was possible. But embarrassing Bowman, a former principal, for being incapable of reading emergency exit and fire alarm signs would have been fun.
There’s also new video evidence that shows everything the man said in response to this incident was—shocker—a lie (via Daily Caller):
🚨 NEW FOOTAGE: Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman removes warning signs before pulling the fire alarm in a House office building last month pic.twitter.com/dhwOQN2G6y
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 26, 2023
Shot: the video of Bowman pulling the fire alarm
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) October 26, 2023
Chaser: @mattyglesias defending Bowman for saying he thought the fire alarm would open the door pic.twitter.com/xg2wYFUJV0
So this was all a lie. https://t.co/1tPyJOyZKw pic.twitter.com/Axne8bfukF
— Jack Pandol (@jackpandol) October 26, 2023
LOL.. LMAFO even.
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 26, 2023
He told a straight lie about trying to exit the building and they will all swallow it. https://t.co/qLbZqnbaiX
New video footage posted on social media Thursday contradicts claims by Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York about why he pulled a fire alarm.
Bowman pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a Sept. 30 incident where he pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building. Bowman claimed in a statement released shortly after the incident that he was trying to open the door and got confused, but footage posted on Twitter by Spectrum News NY1 Washington Correspondent Kevin Frey shows Bowman taking down the emergency exit signs.
[…]
The 30-second video posted by Frey shows Bowman removing signs from the door, pulling the fire alarm and walking away while holding the signs. Bowman did not appear to make any effort to open the doors in the video.
“I was trying to get out the door. I was rushing to a vote,” Bowman told reporters Thursday, according to ABC News. “I’m thankful that we have an agreement in place, and I’m thankful that in three months it’s going to be dismissed. And now let’s move on.
Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman says he struck a deal with fellow Democrat D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb to have the fire alarm charges expunged from his record once he pays a fine pic.twitter.com/uzLPqxA3TG
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 26, 2023
But this story has expired. Bowman will probably pay a fine, and the Democrats can go about their business, which is now about defending Hamas, which murdered over 1,200 Israelis on October 7.