Democrat Congressman Engages In Insurrection At The Capitol

[Cow Poke]

His official statement said it.

"Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open," Bowman said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...ol-2023-10-01/

That just says the door wouldn't open. It also said it's usually open. We know the latter is false, so I seriously question the former, at least from him.

However...

More from Capitol Police....

While the Capitol Police did not identify Bowman in its update, it said “a man was seen trying to exit the door in the Cannon Building and then pulling the fire alarm that prompted the evacuation.” It also noted that officers “had previously placed signs with clear language that explained the door was secured and marked as an emergency exit only.”

The update that the Capitol Police provided seems to address Bowman’s explanation for his actions. The New York Democrat has maintained that he pulled the fire alarm by accident, saying that he thought it would open a closed door.

“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” he said in a statement.

The United States Capitol Police delivered a new update on Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) decision to pull the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday ahead of the House passing a stopgap measure to fund the government.

The Capitol Police said in a Monday update that it is still investigating the incident, which it said took place at about 12:05 p.m. Saturday. The Capitol Police said its officers evacuated the people from the building, “floor-by-floor, while D.C. Fire & EMS responded.”

So, this wasn't just a "pull the alarm" then "oooops", all is well --- it was a mass evacuation with Fire & EMS responding --- there is ALWAYS the risk of bodily injury to them or innocent civilians when an alarm is pulled.

[Sparko]

That just says the door wouldn't open. It also said it's usually open. We know the latter is false, so I seriously question the former, at least from him.

However...

More from Capitol Police....

While the Capitol Police did not identify Bowman in its update, it said “a man was seen trying to exit the door in the Cannon Building and then pulling the fire alarm that prompted the evacuation.” It also noted that officers “had previously placed signs with clear language that explained the door was secured and marked as an emergency exit only.”

The update that the Capitol Police provided seems to address Bowman’s explanation for his actions. The New York Democrat has maintained that he pulled the fire alarm by accident, saying that he thought it would open a closed door.

“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” he said in a statement.

The United States Capitol Police delivered a new update on Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) decision to pull the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday ahead of the House passing a stopgap measure to fund the government.

The Capitol Police said in a Monday update that it is still investigating the incident, which it said took place at about 12:05 p.m. Saturday. The Capitol Police said its officers evacuated the people from the building, “floor-by-floor, while D.C. Fire & EMS responded.”

So, this wasn't just a "pull the alarm" then "oooops", all is well --- it was a mass evacuation with Fire & EMS responding --- there is ALWAYS the risk of bodily injury to them or innocent civilians when an alarm is pulled.

If you have to set off a fire alarm in order to get through a door, then you should not be going through that door. That is simple common sense. He knew that setting off a fire alarm would cause a whole chain reaction, from evacuation to the fire department responding. I am sure when he was Principal and did fire tests, he knew he had to coordinate with the fire department first, before setting off the alarms. Usually the fire department is present during such test too.

[Cow Poke]

If you have to set off a fire alarm in order to get through a door, then you should not be going through that door. That is simple common sense. He knew that setting off a fire alarm would cause a whole chain reaction, from evacuation to the fire department responding. I am sure when he was Principal and did fire tests, he knew he had to coordinate with the fire department first, before setting off the alarms. Usually the fire department is present during such test too.

Leave it to MSMBC to join the liberals defending this guy....

This explanation is hardly outrageous. The doors Bowman tried to exit are usually open, and when he found them locked, he apparently misunderstood a sign and set off an alarm. It’s possible that some additional damaging information might yet come to light, but the available details suggest this was simply a foolish error.

They're taking the position that the doors were actually "usually open" --- really hard to believe since Jan 6 was such a horrific event.

[JimL]

That just says the door wouldn't open. It also said it's usually open. We know the latter is false, so I seriously question the former, at least from him.

And you know the latter is false how?

[Cow Poke]

And you know the latter is false how?

Simple logic -- EMERGENCY EXITS are not "left open".

[Cow Poke]

Simple logic -- EMERGENCY EXITS are not "left open".

That was "A"

And 2 --- if there was even a SHRED of evidence that the door was "usually open", the Democrats would be shouting that from the rooftops!

[Stoic]

His official statement said it.

"Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open," Bowman said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...ol-2023-10-01/

Hey! He said he wanted it from one of the liberals!

[Stoic]

Simple logic -- EMERGENCY EXITS are not "left open".

If it was always an emergency exit, I would expect it to have a permanent sign.

[Sam]

That just says the door wouldn't open. It also said it's usually open. We know the latter is false, so I seriously question the former, at least from him.

However...

More from Capitol Police....

While the Capitol Police did not identify Bowman in its update, it said “a man was seen trying to exit the door in the Cannon Building and then pulling the fire alarm that prompted the evacuation.” It also noted that officers “had previously placed signs with clear language that explained the door was secured and marked as an emergency exit only.”

The update that the Capitol Police provided seems to address Bowman’s explanation for his actions. The New York Democrat has maintained that he pulled the fire alarm by accident, saying that he thought it would open a closed door.

“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” he said in a statement.

The United States Capitol Police delivered a new update on Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) decision to pull the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building on Saturday ahead of the House passing a stopgap measure to fund the government.

The Capitol Police said in a Monday update that it is still investigating the incident, which it said took place at about 12:05 p.m. Saturday. The Capitol Police said its officers evacuated the people from the building, “floor-by-floor, while D.C. Fire & EMS responded.”

So, this wasn't just a "pull the alarm" then "oooops", all is well --- it was a mass evacuation with Fire & EMS responding --- there is ALWAYS the risk of bodily injury to them or innocent civilians when an alarm is pulled.

This account by Capitol Police would suggest that Bowman didn't enter the area to set off the fire alarm but did indeed try to exit and, failing to open the door, try to find a way to make it open. Whether he did so by misunderstanding the signage or because he didn't care that he'd have to trigger a fire alarm to open the doors is something that'd be impossible to ascertain.

But it's also irrelevant to the topic: if Bowman really was trying to exit and was not clearly intending to pull a fire alarm to delay the House in voting, that's the end of the discussion. No intent to delay = no intent to obstruct a congressional proceeding = no analogy to January 6 rioters.

We can still wait to see the video to make a determination but you have provided strong evidence, in the form of a Capitol Police summary, that Bowman's action was stupid, rather than malicious, and was not an attempt to delay congressional proceedings.

-Sam

[JimL]

This account by Capitol Police would suggest that Bowman didn't enter the area to set off the fire alarm but did indeed try to exit and, failing to open the door, try to find a way to make it open. Whether he did so by misunderstanding the signage or because he didn't care that he'd have to trigger a fire alarm to open the doors is something that'd be impossible to ascertain.

But it's also irrelevant to the topic: if Bowman really was trying to exit and was not clearly intending to pull a fire alarm to delay the House in voting, that's the end of the discussion. No intent to delay = no intent to obstruct a congressional proceeding = no analogy to January 6 rioters.

We can still wait to see the video to make a determination but you have provided strong evidence, in the form of a Capitol Police summary, that Bowman's action was stupid, rather than malicious, and was not an attempt to delay congressional proceedings.

-Sam

Even if he tried to delay a vote so that the bill could be read first so that people knew what they were voting on, knew what exactly was in the bill, which is why democrats delayed it in the first place, it's not really analogous to Jan 6th, which was an attempt to overthrow an election.

[Mountain Man]

If it was always an emergency exit, I would expect it to have a permanent sign.

If Bowman is telling the truth, then proving that it was recently converted to an emergency exit should be trivial.

[Stoic]

If Bowman is telling the truth, then proving that it was recently converted to an emergency exit should be trivial.

What constitutes proof?

Is it enough that other Democrats back him up, or do Republicans have to agree?

[Mountain Man]

What constitutes proof?

Is it enough that other Democrats back him up, or do Republicans have to agree?

Have other members of the House claimed they regularly use that door? And, yes, if Republicans said it, too, then I would accept them as hostile witnesses. But so far, the Democrats seem desperate to convince us that Bowman really is a moron who doesn't understand how fire alarms work.

And surely if the door were only recently converted to an emergency exit, then there would be work orders for the purchase and installation of the locking mechanism, and for the printing of signage. That would be definitive proof that Bowman is telling the truth at least as far as that is concerned.

[RumTumTugger]

By the way, as is quite common on the Capitol grounds, there is actually a tunnel that connects the two buildings, so there as no need for him to "panic" and try to "escape a vestibule".

It's sounding sillier and sillier all the time.

High any member of Congress knows about since those tunnels are there to make it easy for Senators and house Members to get where they need to.

[Gondwanaland]

His official statement said it.

"Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open," Bowman said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused."
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...ol-2023-10-01/

Lol, 'usually open for votes', riiight. That one definitely needs some serious backing for anyone with a brain to believe. An alarmed emergency door is not something that is usually kept open. And the pics of the door at other times that we have show otherwise too.