Republicans Demand Prosecution After Rep. Bowman Pulls Fire Alarm
Far-left U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) caused some chaos on Capitol Hill over the weekend when he seemingly ignored multiple signs around an emergency exit and activated a fire alarm.
He further sparked controversy with a statement on the matter that struck many critics as nonsensical.
“Congressman Bowman did not realize he would trigger a building alarm as he was rushing to make an urgent vote,” claimed Bowman chief of staff Sarah Iddrissu. “The Congressman regrets any confusion.”
Many Republicans — including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) — believed the New York Democrat’s action was an attempt to delay a vote on a proposal to avoid a government shutdown.
For her part, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) insisted that Bowman face the same voracious prosecution that those who entered the Capitol during a protest on Jan. 6, 2021 have received.
“I’m calling on the [Justice Department] to prosecute him using the same law they used to prosecute J6 Defendants for interfering with an official proceeding,” she said. “The Democrats literally will do anything to shout OUR government down because billions aren’t going to their favorite country: Ukraine.”
Although House Republicans were divided over a deal McCarthy made with Democrats to continue funding the federal government through Nov. 17, the party seemed largely united in the belief that Bowman should face significant consequences for pulling the fire alarm.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), a former sheriff, said he would “happily slap the cuffs” on Bowman, whom he said could face felony obstruction charges for the act, which was caught on camera.
“If true, this is a crime that carries up to six months in jail,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) chimed in. “While Republicans are trying to be productive, Democrats are pulling fire alarms in the halls of Congress.”
On the other side of the aisle, however, fellow “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) found a way to shift the focus to controversies surrounding Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
“They are protecting someone who has not only committed wire fraud, not only defrauded veterans, not only lied to congressional investigators, but is openly gloating about it is absolutely humiliating to the Republican caucus and I think that they should really check their own values,” she said.
