Jamaal Bowman just got caught in a lie.
Okay, so it was a really, really obvious lie that we’ve all known for a while was, well, a lie. But still. Having video of it can’t hurt…unless you’re Bowman.
The New York Democrat congressman sparked controversy last month when he pulled a fire alarm and forced the Cannon congressional office building to evacuate. Critics suggested the move was a transparent attempt to keep House Republicans from approving legislation that would avoid a government shutdown, as Democrats had said they wanted more time to go through the bill.
At the time, Bowman claimed he was just in a hurry to vote and accidentally pulled the clearly marked fire alarm because he thought it would make the door open.
“I was trying to get to a door. I thought the alarm would open the door, and I pulled the fire alarm to open the door by accident,” Bowman said at the time.
“I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” he added.
There’s just one problem: if you’re going to tell such a bald-faced lie, don’t do it in the one of most heavily surveilled buildings in the world. Security footage from the doorway in question released Thursday shows Bowman approaching the door and quickly removing the “emergency exit” signs before casually reaching over and yanking the fire alarm before quickly walking away. At no point did Bowman attempt to open the door he’d claimed he was trying to get through, nor did he appear at all confused when the alarm he’d just triggered went off.
BREAKING: The video of Jamaal Bowman pulling the fire alarm to stop a vote has been released.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 26, 2023
In his initial statement, Bowman claimed that he was rushing to get to a vote and did it by accident.
The video shows him removing the warning signs and not even attempting to open the… pic.twitter.com/IGzmZo72xp
Bowman pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge this week, acknowledging that he “willfully and knowingly” gave a “false alarm of a fire.” Publicly, he has maintained he pulled the alarm by accident.
"I'm thankful for the quick resolution from the District of Columbia Attorney General's office on this issue and grateful that the United States Capitol Police General Counsel's office agreed I did not obstruct nor intend to obstruct any House vote or proceedings. I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped," Bowman initially said in a statement Wednesday.
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He added, “I think we all know that Republicans will attempt to use this to distract everyone from their mess, but I look forward to putting this behind me and to continue working hard to deliver for New Yorkers.”
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office said the charges against Bowman will be dropped in three months if he doesn’t do it again.
Welcome to D.C. - the only place where you can commit a crime, brazenly lie about it, get caught on camera, and walk away with your $174k salary in tact and not even a slap on the wrist.
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