We previously discussed how Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) perfectly captured the age of rage in raving at members and the press off the House floor. He is now accused of causing a false evacuation after pulling a fire alarm during tense negotiations between the Republican and Democratic members.
House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., stated: “Rep. Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning. An investigation into why it was pulled is underway.”
Sources said the incident was caught on camera. At the time, Democrats were complaining about a sudden move to rush forward a stopgap measure to keep the government funded and complaining that they did not have enough time to consider the bill.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) was shown on videotape screaming about gun control in the Capitol as his colleagues left the floor following a vote. Various Democratic members, including former House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), tried to calm Bowman. However, when Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) asked Bowman to stop yelling, Bowman shouted back: “I was screaming before you interrupted me.” I previously noted that it could go down as the perfect epitaph for our age of rage.
However, this is more than a good rave next to the House floor.
In D.C., this would constitute a criminal misdemeanor. It would also obviously be treated as sanctionable conduct under the House rules. Even without addressing any attempt to cause fear or panic, here is the most obvious crime:
§ 22–1319. False alarms and false reports; hoax weapons.
(a) It shall be 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 not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Prosecutions for violation of the provisions of this subsection shall be on information filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
(a-1) It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to willfully or knowingly use, or allow the use of, the 911 call system to make a false or fictitious report or complaint which initiates a response by District of Columbia emergency personnel or officials when, at the time of the call or transmission, the person knows the report or complaint is false. 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 not more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or by imprisonment for not more than 6 months. Prosecutions for violation of the provisions of this subsection shall be on information filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
Maybe Bowman would have better use of his time lecturing gang members and violent felons on gun control.
By definition, law abiding citizens obey the law, and criminals do not. Murder is also illegal. Prison is somewhat of a deterrent. Bowman and his colleagues can impose any number of draconian gun restriction laws, yet gang members won’t follow them.
Shenanigans like pulling the fire alarm is meant to prevent good faith debate.
Not clear to me that DC laws apply in the Capitol Complex. The J6 rioters were charged with breaking federal laws, not DC laws (unless they separately broke DC laws when in the District at large).
Jonathan: The House is on fire! The House is on fire! Whether intentional or not Rep. Bowman’s pulling the fire alarm was certainly a symbolic act to demonstrate the complete dysfunction of the House under McCarthy’s leadership. Someone should have pulled the fire alarm weeks ago. The MAGA Republicans in the House wanted to burn the House down–to shut down the government because they couldn’t get their way. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed today with a 45-day funding bill that passed just hours before the fire consumed the House and the country. The funding bill passed 335-91–with most Republicans and all Dems in support. Looks like the only time the House Republicans act is when someone lights a fire under them.
But there will a price to pay for McCarthy. Matt Gaetz and his crowd want to light a new fire–to take away McCarthy’s job because he committed an act of treason by getting Democratic support to pass the funding bill. That will be a three-alarm fire!
Sorry you didnt get your shutdown, Denny bwahahahahaha. Better luck prognosticating next time, boy.
When gaetz has 218, come see us Denny. What a douche bwahahahahaha
Dennis – this is reckless rhetoric. Conservative Republicans are tying to get our debt under control, they are not trying to “burn the House down.”
Let him be charged. He’s not above the law just like Trump is not above the law.
Wait, he did this because the CR was being pushed through without time to read it? Amateur. This could have been avoided if he had remembered what Nancy Pelosi’s taught us: you have to pass a bill before you can read it and find out what’s in it.
Come on in here, Dennis McInlyre, and treat us all to another round of your Trump Derangement Syndrome. Whats Fani packing today???
Turley doesn’t mention that McCarthy’s stopgap funding bill received more votes from Democrats than Republicans. Every House Democrat but one voted to keep the governmnet funded while 90 Republicans voted against it. Democrats are calling the passage of this bill a victory.
We will soon see what kind of rage will be triggered by those 90 Republicans who are absolutely livid that McCarthy completely caved to Democrats to pass his stopgap funding bill.
Caved to democrats…LMAO…you obviously havent been following along. Just pop your head in and say somethhing stupid. How typical.
Its a continuation of already agreed upon spending, numbnuts.
“Numbnuts?” I can only imagine how giddy you are when making that type of grade 3, juvenile insult. Definitely fits Turley’s age of rage theme.
“Democrats are calling the passage of this bill a victory.”
Of course they are. LMAO
USCP says they’re investigating the Bowman fire alarm incident.
He didn’t use the 911 system, so (a-1) clearly doesn’t apply. The initial section may apply, depending on whether he did so knowingly.
A relevant law is 40 U.S. Code § 5104
(e) Capitol Grounds and Buildings Security.—
…
(2) Violent entry and disorderly conduct.—An individual or group of individuals may not willfully and knowingly—
…
(D) utter loud, threatening, or abusive language, or engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct, at any place in the Grounds or in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress or either House of Congress, or the orderly conduct in that building of a hearing before, or any deliberations of, a committee of Congress or either House of Congress;
This was used in charging multiple J6 defendants. Again, it will depend on whether he did so knowingly and with intent to disrupt.
Bowman spokesperson Emma Simon on him pulling the fire alarm:
“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.”
“Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm”
What did he think it was gonna do, flush the toilet???
Bowman was a school principal. He darn well knows what a fire alarm does.
“knowingly”???
Who TF doesn’t know what a fire alarm is???
Bowman spokesperson Emma Simon on him pulling the fire alarm:
“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.”
If accurate, Bowman is pretty stupid not to understand what pulling a fire alarm would do, but it relates to whether his action meets the “knowingly” requirement.
Blatant grounds for expulsion by House, cite USC Art I, Sect 5, 2nd paragraph.
They haven’t expelled Santos and Menendez, and they’re not going to expel Bowman.
So what! So they’ll shake a finger at him and call him a naughty boy. He ought to be booted out of office and sent back to rot in the sanctuary city, with the brain dead who voted for him, but no. He’s a hero now.
One more reason to eliminate minority congressional districts.
Misdemeanor false alarm has to be the least possible infraction, compared with what some of the J6 protesters are being hit with for merely being at the Capitol. It sends a terrible message that pulling a fire alarm is a less-serious offense than protesting — or as they dress up the accusation against J6 defendants, “parading.”
This incident should help clarify whether we really are intentionally moving to a two-tiered society where, as Orwell put it, “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Get this…he claims it was an accident and he didnt realize it would set off a building alarm!! Says he was in a hurry to get to the vote on the House floor.
Sounds to me like he was trying to delay the vote so he could get there.
I don’t know which is worse, a grown a$$ man MALICIOUSLY setting off a fire alarm, or ACCIDENTALLY setting off a fire alarm.
Bwahahahahaha…the modern Marxist party
And anyone dumb enough to not realize they are on camera, at an entrance with a fire alarm, CANNOT serve in Congress unless they are from California.
It reminds me of the little wooden box that used to hang outside someones front door, that read “Pull Handle In Case of Fire” and when you pull on it, the lid opens and inside it reads “I said, in case of fire, stupid!”
OBSTRUCTION OF AN OFFICIAL PROCEEDING!!!!
He might be possibly criminally liable for Disorderly Conduct
22–1321. Disorderly conduct.
(b) It is unlawful for a person to engage in loud, threatening, or abusive language, or disruptive conduct, with the intent and effect of impeding or disrupting the orderly conduct of a lawful public gathering, or of a congregation of people engaged in any religious service or in worship, a funeral, or similar proceeding.
I really appreciate all these articles by Jonathan Turley. How would we ever learned about the intense ‘push’ against our laws.
What is our future if we don’t follow the rules of conduct and our Constitution? When will it be too late to self correct? Look at where we are — our citizens are afraid to talk or to state an opinion, our schools are not teaching, our children are being mind-altered and we can’t afford to put food on the table. We see organized gangs stealing and there is no consequence. Fast forward and what do we see? A world where Nancy Pelosi is finding that she has to run again because being without power, isn’t an fun place to be!!! Doesn’t this say it all? She doesn’t like being as powerless as the people she once lorded over?!!!
Obstructing a government proceeding…..lock him up and treat him like the January 6th prisoners!
Is there a criminal statute that prohibits interference with, or obstruction of, an official proceeding in Congress? This situation is more than just a false fire alarm!
It sounds like an act of insurrection to me!
Isn’t there a saying that unless you ‘name it’, you can push the idea forward? If not an ‘insurrection of one’, then a protest that needs to have consequences. Or doesn’t this pertain to the powerful?
There isn’t much that members of an anti-American political party won’t do.