A group of House Republicans is asking Capitol Police to release all footage of Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pulling a fire alarm in a House office building — an apparent attempt to cause chaos or upend congressional proceedings as lawmakers considered a continuing resolution to fund the government — as investigations of Bowman's conduct proceed.
In a letter to U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, Reps. Barry Moore (R-AL), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Dan Bishop (R-NC), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) cite "the spirit of transparency" to "ask that the security footage of the incident be released in its entirety."
Noting that "Congressman Bowman could potentially be held liable under two statutes," the letter explains what penalties Bowman could end up facing.
District of Columbia law states that it is "unlawful for any person or persons to willfully or knowingly give a false alarm of fire within the District of Columbia, and any person or persons violating the provisions of this subsection shall, upon conviction, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and be punished by a fine...or by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment."
At the federal level, U.S. code stipulates that whoever "corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which any pending proceeding is being had before any department or agency of the United States, or the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years."
Explaining that the "[o]ne photograph" initially circulated by Capitol Police of Bowman pulling the fire alarm "is not enough to determine the severity of this situation," the GOP lawmakers reiterated that the "American people deserve to know the extent of Congressman Bowman's conduct."
As such, their request for the entirety of security footage sets a deadline of "no later than October 6, 2023."
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