Congressman Jamaal Bowman taking down Emergency Signs before pulling the alarm in DC
By Dan Murphy
Last week, Westchester Congressman Jamaal Bowman pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of falsely pulling a fire alarm, for his actions on Sept. 30 at the U.S. Capitol. At the time the House of Representatives was set to vote on a bill that would fund the government, Bowman was caught on video pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon office building, which has an underground tunnel to the Capitol and the House chambers.
Capitol police evacuated the building, and the vote was delayed. Bowman has claimed that he pulled the alarm without knowing that it would trigger an alarm.
After the agreement, in which Bowman plead guilty in exchange for a fine of $1,000- and 3-months’ probation, after which the charges will be dropped, Bowman again explained his version of events
To the Washington DC media, “I was trying to get out the door. I was rushing to a vote. I’m thankful that we have an agreement in place, and I’m thankful that in three months it’s going to be dismissed. And now let’s move on.”
And then to Black Westchester, who got the news first. “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 I look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped.”
Days after his guilty plea, a second video of the event surfaced which shows Bowman pulling down two signs on the doors of the building before yanking the alarm. The sign reads -Emergency Exit Only-Push Until Alarm Sounds -Door Will Unlock in 30 Seconds
While Bowman is seen in the video pulling down the signs, he is not seen checking the doors to exit. And there is no reason for Bowman to leave through the doors to vote; all members of Congress and their staff use the underground tunnel.
The second video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/8uSGUeOp4P0.
Several Westchester democrats have previously commented that they believe Bowman version of events, but that was before the second video was made public. No comment, or no further coverage on this by any other Westchester media outlet, other than Black Westchester, who was the first to report on the plea deal.
Now, we are more concerned about Congressman Bowman telling the truth about what happened to his constituents. And his explanation does not make sense, even more so now that the second video shows more detail about his actions.
Some are also questioning the timing of the release of the second, incriminating video, AFTER the plea agreement was reached.
