Donald Trump calls for Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman to be JAILED for pulling the fire alarm during crucial government shutdown vote – and compares him to January 6 protestors: ‘When will his trial begin?’
Donald Trump demanded that Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman be thrown in jail for pulling the fire alarm during a key vote on the government shutdown — arguing that his offense might have been worse than the Jan. 6 riots.
“Will Congressman Jamal (sic) Bowman be prosecuted and imprisoned for very dangerously pulling and disabling the main fire alarm system to stop a congressional vote that was underway in DC,” Trump posted in Truth Social a day after the incident.
“His egregious act was captured on tape, an appalling display of courage and criminality. It was a very dangerous ‘obstruction of an official proceeding’, the same as that against our J-6 prisoners.
‘Actually, his act may have been worse. HE MUST SUFFER THEIR SAME FATE. WHEN DOES HIS TRIAL BEGIN???’
Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman was caught setting off the fire alarm on surveillance video during a crucial vote in the House of Representatives
Former President Donald Trump blasted Bowman, saying he would be charged with ‘obstruction of official proceedings’
Bowman did not deny pulling the alarm and insisted he thought it would open a door
Trump and other Republicans are calling for the congressman to be held criminally liable
Bowman has served as representative of New York’s 16th congressional district since 2021.
The district covers much of the northern Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, including Bowman’s hometown of Yonkers.
On Saturday he set off the fire alarm on a door of the Cannon House Office.
The House of Representatives was about to vote on a bipartisan bill to keep the government open for 45 days and prevent a shutdown.
The bill received overwhelming support from Democrats, but members of the party bought time to read it when it was unveiled by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The House Administration Committee soon afterward released a surveillance image showing Bowman reaching for the alarm.
The committee manages day-to-day operations for the U.S. House of Representatives and also oversees the Capitol Police Board.
Bowman’s office insisted he accidentally activated the alarm.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the congressman admitted setting off the alarm but denied trying to delay the vote.
“I was trying to get to a door,” he said.
“I thought the alarm was going to open the door, and I accidentally pulled the fire alarm to open the door.”
He continued: ‘I was just trying to cast my vote and the door that is normally open was not open, but closed.’
The alarm went off during a vote on an emergency bill as Democrats tried to buy time to read it
Bowman was confronted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who called his actions “outrageous.”
She told reporters: “He broke the exact same law that suspects are prosecuted for every day on January 6.”
Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy also called for Bowman to be punished and recommended that the House Ethics Committee investigate the incident.
Bowman also posted a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
It read: ‘Today, as I rushed to vote, I came to a door that is normally open for voting, but would not open today.
‘I’m ashamed to admit that I activated the fire alarm because I mistakenly thought it would open the door.
‘I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused.’
Bowman is facing an investigation, but conservatives are demanding he be censured or expelled from Congress altogether.
A leading critic was Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represents Georgia’s 14th congressional district.
“I want to talk about Jamal Bowman pulling the fire alarm,” she said as she stood on the steps of the Capitol.
“Capitol Police are now questioning him because video shows he broke the very same law that suspects are prosecuted for every day on January 6.”
‘He broke exactly the same law by interrupting an official proceeding by setting off a fire alarm. It’s on video and the Capitol Police have the information. This is outrageous.’
Speaker McCarthy told reporters he believed the House Ethics Committee should investigate the incident, characterizing Bowman’s behavior as an “embarrassment.”
“I think the ethics have to look at this, but this is serious,” McCarthy said after the vote.
‘This should not happen without punishment. This is a shame. You have been elected to Congress.”
The House and Senate passed a last-minute deal that will keep the government open until November 17.