Democrat Congressman Engages In Insurrection At The Capitol

[Gondwanaland]

Today should forever be known as S30. Truly never seen such a flagrant attack on our democracy.
https://www.politico.com/live-update...-fire-00119278

Rep. Bowman pulled House fire alarm amid vote chaos The New York Democratic lawmaker has not immediately responded to a request for comment.



Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pulled the fire alarm in a House office building as his party tried to delay a vote on a hurried House GOP stopgap spending bill, according to the Republican-controlled Administration Committee.

Bowman "pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning," a spokesperson for the panel said. "An investigation into why it was pulled is underway.”


Multiple people familiar with the situation said was caught on camera as the House descended into fresh chaos on Saturday. A Bowman spokesperson described the incident as inadvertent.

“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,” Emma Simon, Bowman’s digital director, said in a statement.

Republicans are incensed about the incident. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) is drafting a resolution that,would expel Bowman from the House in response, her spokesperson confirmed.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters Saturday that he would discuss the matter with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) but added that “this should not go without punishment," suggesting that Bowman could face further action from the GOP side.

A Capitol Police spokesperson said: "The building was evacuated while USCP officers checked the building. The building was reopened after it was determined that there was not a threat. An investigation into what happened and why continues."

When will he be joining Jan 6ers in their cells for the same charge of obstructing official government proceedings?

[Gondwanaland]

Violation of 18 USC 1512(c)(2) obstruction of an official proceeding.

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[Sam]

Yes, most likely Bowman will be charged for seeking to obstruct a government proceeding. That may not happen or a conviction may not be obtainable because it's going to be a bit hard to prove intent and Bowman's defense is that it was accidental. Without having seen the video reel, I wouldn't want to speculate on it being nail-in-the-coffin evidence but, if pressed, that'd be my suspicion.

Regardless, he'll be at least censured in the House and quite possibly expelled after an Ethics Committee report.

-Sam

[Gondwanaland]

Yes, most likely Bowman will be charged for seeking to obstruct a government proceeding. That may not happen or a conviction may not be obtainable because it's going to be a bit hard to prove intent and Bowman's defense is that it was accidental. Without having seen the video reel, I wouldn't want to speculate on it being nail-in-the-coffin evidence but, if pressed, that'd be my suspicion.

Regardless, he'll be at least censured in the House and quite possibly expelled after an Ethics Committee report.

-Sam

"Accidental"? What, he tripped and fell and grabbed the fire alarm handle on his way down?

There's video of him walking up and pulling it. He has a background as a teacher at elementary schools and as a principal of his own school (where the punishment, at his own academy that HE founded, for kids pulling the fire alarm and making the building evacuate was suspension or expulsion). The chances of him not knowing what would happen are between 0 and zilch.

[Ronson]

I think Bowman is wanting to prove to everyone that one need not be an FBI plant to skate free when guilty of "obstruction of an official proceeding". One need only be favored by The Machine.

[Sam]

"Accidental"? What, he tripped and fell and grabbed the fire alarm handle on his way down?

There's video of him walking up and pulling it. He has a background as a teacher at elementary schools and as a principal of his own school (where the punishment, at his own academy that HE founded, for kids pulling the fire alarm and making the building evacuate was suspension or expulsion). The chances of him not knowing what would happen are between 0 and zilch.

I'm stating what his defense when confronted was, not that I think it's a good defense or it will stick.

If we're talking about what will happen, I'd like to see how strong the video evidence of his action will be. If I'm forced to guess, I'd say you're looking at an obstruction charge that gets pled down into a lesser charge after (or maybe before) a formal charge.

Regardless, Bowman should be gone. I expect he'll be censured and will resign, though probably not prior to an Ethics Committee report.

-Sam

[Starlight]

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/30/p...arm/index.html

“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.”

“I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added.

As someone who's noticed at my own workplace that there are a series of buttons next to the door, one of which opens the door and one of which is a fire alarm, and easily mistakable (I haven't mistakenly set it off yet though), I sympathize.

According to him he was trying to open the door and get to the vote in order to vote, not to set off a fire alarm to delay the vote.

It appears from the image it was a button beside the shut door that he walked up and pressed, in an area of wall beside the door where you'd intuitively expect a door-release button to be located. It wasn't a "break glass in the event of emergency" box that he broke into and then activated an alarm.

[Gondwanaland]

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/30/p...arm/index.html

“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.”

“I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added.

As someone who's noticed at my own workplace that there are a series of buttons next to the door, one of which opens the door and one of which is a fire alarm, and easily mistakable (I haven't mistakenly set it off yet though), I sympathize.

According to him he was trying to open the door and get to the vote in order to vote, not to set off a fire alarm to delay the vote.

It appears from the image it was a button beside the door that he walked up an pressed, in an area where you'd reasonably expect a door-release button to be located. It wasn't a "break glass in the event of emergency" box that he broke into and then activated an alarm.

You sound as retarded as a Trumper

[Ronson]

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/30/p...arm/index.html

“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.”

“I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added.

As someone who's noticed at my own workplace that there are a series of buttons next to the door, one of which opens the door and one of which is a fire alarm, and easily mistakable (I haven't mistakenly set it off yet though), I sympathize.

According to him he was trying to open the door and get to the vote in order to vote, not to set off a fire alarm to delay the vote.

It appears from the image it was a button beside the shut door that he walked up and pressed, in an area of wall beside the door where you'd intuitively expect a door-release button to be located. It wasn't a "break glass in the event of emergency" box that he broke into and then activated an alarm.

IOW, he thought it was a doorknob? Doesn't he work in the building? Shouldn't he know the characteristics of it?

[rogue06]

Yes, most likely Bowman will be charged for seeking to obstruct a government proceeding. That may not happen or a conviction may not be obtainable because it's going to be a bit hard to prove intent and Bowman's defense is that it was accidental. Without having seen the video reel, I wouldn't want to speculate on it being nail-in-the-coffin evidence but, if pressed, that'd be my suspicion.

Regardless, he'll be at least censured in the House and quite possibly expelled after an Ethics Committee report.

-Sam

Has anyone ever successfully argued that their pulling of the fire alarm was a mere accident? Maybe stumbled and lurched out trying to maintain balance when their hand accidentally pulled the alarm?

[Stoic]

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/30/p...arm/index.html

“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.”

“I was just trying to get to my vote and the door that’s usually open wasn’t open, it was closed,” Bowman added.

As someone who's noticed at my own workplace that there are a series of buttons next to the door, one of which opens the door and one of which is a fire alarm, and easily mistakable (I haven't mistakenly set it off yet though), I sympathize.

According to him he was trying to open the door and get to the vote in order to vote, not to set off a fire alarm to delay the vote.

It appears from the image it was a button beside the shut door that he walked up and pressed, in an area of wall beside the door where you'd intuitively expect a door-release button to be located. It wasn't a "break glass in the event of emergency" box that he broke into and then activated an alarm.

I'll think I'll wait until I see a picture that shows how obvious it was that it was a fire alarm, and THEN rush to judgment.

It SHOULD be obvious enough so that even someone in a hurry who doesn't take the time to examine it won't make that kind of mistake.

[Ronson]

I'll think I'll wait until I see a picture that shows how obvious it was that it was a fire alarm, and THEN rush to judgment.

It SHOULD be obvious enough so that even someone in a hurry who doesn't take the time to examine it won't make that kind of mistake.

I will admit this: I have been at customer locations with automatically-locking doors and I'd have to hit a button to unlock it. Maybe twice, the button next to the door was some sort of alarm and I pushed it by mistake. But I didn't know the building, didn't work there, and never went through the doors before. In both instances, the buttons weren't marked well, and all I had to do was twist them and the button popped back out and the alarm stopped. Nobody really reacted in either case. It wouldn't have disrupted business.

[Gondwanaland]

I'll think I'll wait until I see a picture that shows how obvious it was that it was a fire alarm, and THEN rush to judgment.

It SHOULD be obvious enough so that even someone in a hurry who doesn't take the time to examine it won't make that kind of mistake.

The things thay are bright red, have "FIRE" in big letters on them? The things you have to push in and THEN pull down in order to get them to go off?

[rogue06]

Supposedly pushing the wrong button in an elevator is different than how the article in the OP described it -- "pulled the fire alarm"

[Ronson]

This is basically the type of alarm buttons I have run across. I don't recall now if the button itself was red, but I do remember that it only said "exit." If there was an additional sign somewhere with more explanation, I didn't see it.

alarm.jpg