Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) has pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor after he was caught on videotape pulling a fire alarm in the middle of a key vote to avoid a government shutdown. The misdemeanor was the charge that I discussed when this first arose. However, the release of the videotape raises another issue: whether Bowman has clearly lied to not just the court but Congress in his account.
Bowman has insisted in Congress and court that he was confused and thought that the door (closed for any purpose other than an emergency) would open if he pulled the fire alarm. The video, however, shows Bowman not only taking the emergency sign off the door but never stopping or looking back as he pulled the alarm. There was not even a glance back to see if the door opened. Instead, he quickly walks away with the sign.
Bowman may not have been motivated by delaying the vote, but the videotape does not suggest that he was trying to open the door. It may have been motivated by the same urge as students in schools (like the one Bowman used to oversee) to cause chaos or to vent.
Bowman has insisted “I don’t know why this has gotten so much attention,. I was literally just in a rush to go vote, man! That’s all it was!”
Yet, Bowman never looks at the door, let alone tries to open the door, after pulling the alarm.
Under his plea agreement, Bowman will avoid jail time and get his charge dropped in three months by simply paying a $1,000 fine and writing a formal apology letter to the U.S. Capitol Police.
However, it is not clear if the false statement to Congress will have any repercussions for Bowman.
Hopefully, someone will look at Bowman’s phone record to see whom he was communicating with just before he set off the alarm
Iran is stirring trouble in the mideast. That is only a surprise to those on the left.
It remains to be seen whether Iran takes Pres. Biden’s admonition to stop seriously.
We are all left to wonder why they should take the threats of Joe Biden and the US state and defense departments seriously – as for the past 2+ years as well as through the Obama administration the people accross the table from the Mullahs now are the same ones falling all over themselves giving Iran anything the wanted to strike some deal to normalize relations with Iran and give Iran even more power and influence in the mideast.
Iran has not changes since the fall of the Shah. But on Oct 7. The Biden administration found themselves riding an out of control bronco, and now they are looking for a way off.
We all hope Biden will be taken seriously by Iran and Iran will quit trying to fan flames of war in the mideast.
Who here would bet on that ?
Do you think the american people are prepared to bet on that in 2024 ?
Several pundits claim that Biden’s foreign policy and Trumps are identical.
I do not agree, but even more importantly – Biden has been an abject failure at foreign policy – which was supposed to be his forte.
You would think that all his hob nobbing with foreign powers would have given him some insight.
Conversely Trump who was supposed to be a toddler messing in affairs that he could not comprehend, has had foriegn policy accomplishments rivalling those of Nixon, kissenger and and Carter – without the failures and scandals.
Biden’s ability to unite Europe against russia would have been impossible and disasterous but for the buildout of LNG that Trump pushed – a buildout that takes 3 years minimum and that is the only thing that has separated Europe from freezing to death.
Ukraine developed the capability to stand up to the Russians – Under Trump, again something that does not happen in a few days.
“Biden has been an abject failure at foreign policy . . .”
You’re giving him short shrift.
Name a single president in American history who has been more adept at the policy of convincing foreigners to cough up millions.
America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present. By John Ghazvinian.
CIA messed around in there once. Maybe they’re at it again, cause we just gotta have a war over there. Who knows, maybe not only are we there messing around, Russia could be there messing around, and some other BRICS countries could be messing around. Iran does hate Israel, so they are probably quite happily messing around, too.
What a tangled web they all weave.
He shouldn’t get a pass for lying to Congress because he’s black. Disgusting.
Had a Trump aid been caught doing the same thing, the press would have implicated Trump’s in it, called for his impeachment, fined and jailed the aid, and reminded the world in blazing headlines streaming across the world every 7 seconds for 38 years, proof that Trump tried to sabotage the Constitution, the American way of life, granting our enemies directions on how to shut down Congress and charging hefty electricity costs on the taxpayers.
“The depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually resisted fact.” Malcolm Muggeridge, a devout former leftist journalist/intellectual, saved by God’s grace.
Didn’t he disrupt an official proceeding?
Absolutely.
There are SO MANY places where we see a double standard with democrats.
We recently learned that nearly every ranking person in the US government under Obama was briefed on the CIA’s intel that Hillary was going to use a false claim of collusion with Russia against Trump EXCEPT those in the FBI involved in Crossfire Huricane. Dozens of people were aware of this – but FBI agents involved in the hoax were not. The FISA court was NOT.
We no learn that Starting in the Obama administration the FBI recieved atleast 40 reports of criminal conduct involing Joe Biden Hunter Biden and James Biden, and that NONE of these were investigated.
We still have left wing nuts – and even Turley claiming the Election was not rigged. From 2016 through the present Trump has had to fight a hostile press, social media censorship, and an army of federal agencies conspiring in NUMEROUS ways to “get Trump” and to make sure Trump did not win the election.
Now we find YET ANOTHER way in which they were hiding allegations of criminal conduct by Joe Biden.
The Pro-Palestinian protestors who invaded the capital and were var more violent and disruptive than J6 protestors – who forced confess out of the capital for some time – are they going to be charged with insurection ? Are they going to face decades in Jail ?
What tipped republican on Nixon – When nixon arranged to have donors pay the water gate defendants to keep silent.
Right now we do not know WHO was obstructing any investigations into the Biden’s as far back as 2014. But we know beyond any doubt that these investigations were obstructed.
Does anyone expect anything from David Weis ? From Robert Hur ?
The coverup is ONGOING and significant portions of the current administration are involved.
Prof. Turley – Why is it that you beleive that the very same people who have engaged in coverups, lies, censorship, run false investigations, lied, …. and myriods of other criminal conduct, Why is it that you find it so hard to beleive those same people would not engage in other forms of election fraud ?
Falsus in unum, Falsus in omnibus !
This is all about far far far more than VP Biden selling out his office. This is about the THOUSANDS of people who have actively participated in the coverup, and the fraudulent efforts to “get Trump” – as well as anyone close to him.
Exactly gulag for him! If you’re kid did that at school they’d be expelled. If you did that you’d be arrested for obstruction of gov operations for wasting their response times – but liers liie.. . And rarely use soap. He should hit the road. Habit of lying? And he’s from nyl?
No. He was in the Cannon office building. The official proceedings occur in the Capitol Building, and were not interrupted.
False statements to Congress?
C’mon Turley, he wasn’t under oath.
He just must have merely ‘misspoke’.
-G
PS. Do you need a /sarcasm tag?
I wonder how his constituents will react to his “prank” in the 2024 election
They will continue to reelect him for the next 40 years.
They will continue to reelect him for the next 40 years.
The illusion or delusion? Why not both? First, Bowman wanting us disbelieve our eyes, second, our thinking that he will face rightful consequences for his actions and lies..
Everyone knows there will be no consequences. DOJ is on their 2nd try to get George Santos. Do you think there will even be an investigation of Bowman ?
Democrats think any excuse is a good excuse. They also know the media will support any crap they throw out in public.
Bowman is a liar. They need to reopen the case based on evidence. He should suffer the same fate as the Jan 6th. He should be expelled or resign from Congress. But he will not. Two tier Justice system.
So HE is the lying dog face pony soldier old Joe is looking for.
You’re right, he probably lied and should pay a consequences for the lie. But why no concern for the thousands of lies Trump has told? The guy can’t utter more than 5 words without 3 of them being a lie. So much concern for Bowman, so little concern for trump. Thanks JT.
Yah, but Trump.
And Biden lies way more than Trump. Joe doesn’t even know where he was raised, who raised him, or in which church or synagogue he was taught. He says he is a Catholic but adheres not to the Faith. He lied about the man who accidentally killed his wife, a woman who probably ran a stop sign. He lied about knowing Hunter’s ‘business’ partners, and he almost certainly lied about Tara Reade. He is the worst liar ever to sit in the Oval Office. And the most corrupt.
Joe does not even know when he is lying anymore.
My father died of Vascular dimensia – this is what that looks like. It is not going to get better.
He also lied about the affair he was having with the babysitter (aka “Dr” Jill) which may have had something to do with his wife’s deliberate(?) accident
That is your defense for Bowman. Trump did worse? This was more than setting off the fire alarm to disrupt business of Congress it was flagrant lying caught in the act by someone who is CURRENTLY an elected official not a past President.
In a sane world – Bowman would be censured by congress, possibly stripped of committee assignments, and that would end it. This is a big deal but it is not the crime of the century.
But we do not live in a sane world. This is worse than what nearly all J6ers did. It is worse than the allegations against Trump – which are not even actual crimes.
The POINT is that if democrats wish to remain credible, they need to treat the same conduct by their own in the same way.
But we all know that will not happen.
Read my comment. No defense for Bowman. Just pointing out the massive, no, HUUUUUUUGE hypocrisy on this site. You want to support the rapist trump, go ahead. And then yell about all the wrongs everyone else does. Sheeeeeeeesh.
Which lies would those be ?
All the lies I am aware of involve Democrats.
The collusion delusion.
The lies to the FISA court.
Joe Biden’s debate lies about Fracking, about the hunter Biden laptop, about his dealings with his son ?
The lies about spying on Trump – we recently found the FBI has been spying on mostly leading republicans in congress since the Obama administration.
Not only is every word out of Joe Biden’s mouth a lie – but nearly everything everyone in this administration and the democratic party says is a lie.
While Bownman’s conduct meets the same statute used to prosecute J6 Protesters and far more important it was clear, premeditated and done SOLELY to disrupt a vote in congress, J6es were engaged in a legitimate protest that they hoped would persuade congress not to crtify the election. They did not INTEND to disrupt the voting. They INTENDED to PERSUADE through protest – not to interfere by faking a fire.
Bob – your ranting about Trump – why should anyone beleive YOU ? What have YOU been truthful about ?
Hillary ? The Biden syndicate ?
Do you understand that the Crossfire huricane investigation and the Mueller Special Counsel investigation are CRIMES ?
When government uses a KNOWN Fraud to investigate ANYONE – that is a crime.
John, thanks for setting the record straight for that idiot Bob even that’s a waste of time. We can’t fix stupid. Hopefully there’s enough of us to cancel their votes
Whether he lied and even who he lied to is secondary. If you are going to prosecute J6ers for disrupting the proceedings of Congress YOU MUST Prosecute Bowman for the same. Failure to do so is all the more in the mountain of proof that the Federal Justice system if rotten and corrupt to its core.
When in every single instance we have The government investigating the right over nothing, and prosecuting nothing, and completely ingoring similar or much worse offenses by those on the left – then the government itself can no longer be trusted.
We are way past questions of is The Biden administration politically corrupt. The outstanding question is only Who committed precisely what crimes.
Our student handbook was quite clear that should a student falsely set off a dormitory fire alarm, said student would be dismissed from the college. No fine, no letter to the campus police, no apology.
To echo another comment above, every single J6 defendant should be released immediately with abject apologies and compensation for time served.
Amen
And the Trump prosecutions attempting to make free speech into a crime should have died long ago.
He’s a black radical democrat…nothing will happen to him. Had this been a white republican/conservative male, he would be looking at hard time in Leavenworth.
Every J6 person should get $1K fine and out of jail now. This is just so totally wrong!
A false fire alarm is a serious offense. He should do time, pay a large fine, and face recall. What a worthless person as an elected representative and former school official. Resign now!
Lie, cheat, steal and war mongering National Socialist aka American NAZIS.
Professor Turley, you are too kind to Bowman. He acted with malice and then lied about it. Considering we’ve endured years now of hysteria over the supposed lying and malice of Donald Trump, and the constant assertions from the leftwing that “Nobody is above the law” I’m frankly incensed by this yet another indication of a two-tiered justice system.
The silver lining is that people are quietly paying attention and realizing that everything these people touch turns to shit–right after they overcome their guilty feelings.
Amen.
Just another lying Democrat.
Lying is the Democrat default response
Of course it will simply be ignored. The two sets of standards for such behavior is still obvious. If your’e a Democrat you can lie, cheat and steal with no repercussions. If you are not, the book comes flying. We all know it.