October 26, 2023

"Jamaal Bowman Charged With Setting Off False Fire Alarm/The congressman from New York set off the alarm in the Cannon House Office Building last month as Democrats were stalling for time to read a spending bill."

The NYT reports.
Mr. Bowman will plead guilty to the single false fire alarm charge, and has agreed to pay the maximum fine of $1,000.... Mr. Bowman was accused of intentionally pulling the alarm to cause a delay, but he claimed it was accidental.... 
“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,” Mr. Bowman said at the time. “But I want to be very clear: This was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote.”

I see the blog has a theme today: transparent lying.  

39 comments:

RideSpaceMountain said...

Bowman. Jamal Bowman. Insurrectionist. Fakin. Not pulled.

BJK said...

If you're dumb enough that not knowing how a fire alarm works sounds like a plausible lie...maybe you shouldn't be in Congress.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Two posts a theme does not make.

I’m fining the blog $10,000 dollars.

The Vault Dweller said...

They should strip him of all committee positions, formally censure him, and then expel him. They probably won't get enough democrats to vote for explusion but the vote should be brought nonetheless. If his constituents decide to reelect him that is their prerogative, but the Democrats would be smart to take an expulsion as an opportunity to support a different candidate.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

If there was a Democrat privilege tag this post would certainly warrant it, since Bowman deliberately interrupted Congress to stop a vote his side was going to, and did in fact, lose. Tourists are now sitting in the DC jails for being accused of the same thing, obstructing an official proceeding, some who have waited over 1000 days without a hearing. We are not a country that is supposed to have political prisoners or unequal justice but this case illustrates both very well.

JAORE said...

Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. He, a former principal, thought the common, red, clearly marked, fire alarm was a device to open a door.

I was taught not to touch that device unless there was an actual FIRE some time EARLY in my grade school education,but whatever.

Congratulations Rep. Bowman, you have take the lead in the dumbest Congress critter race. And he seems amused by the entire episode.

Owen said...

"...transparent lying." Again my first thought is Harry Frankurt's "On Bullshit," an instant and enduring classic in moral philosophy. Jamaal is just F'ing with us all.

Narayanan said...

Democrats were stalling for time to read a spending bill.
========
is it true that D wanted to read bill?

then I applaud and do more of this >> all the time against wascally wepublicans

mezzrow said...

"I see the blog has a theme today: transparent lying."

So much material, so little time. We may need an extension, Professor.

cassandra lite said...

“I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door."

Oh, and when I discovered it didn't open the door, I decided not to walk out the nearest door.

tim maguire said...

First the ACLU takes the correct position in a politically charged case and now a law is being enforced against a Democrat!

Has the world gone mad!?

wendybar said...

And he will get a slap on the wrist compared to how people who were ushered into the Capitol by the Capitol police, taking selfies of themselves were treated.

Dave Begley said...

Lock him up!

retail lawyer said...

So no Federal charges then? Got it.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

what - where's his 18 years? Come on - what he did was an insurrection.

Mark said...

What about the charge for making false statements to the police, e.g. "This was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote”?

RigelDog said...

They don't even respect their fellow Americans enough to think up a good lie. I was actually willing to give Bowman's story a chance, thinking that surely the fire alarm he pulled must appear unusual in some way that could lead to it being mistaken for something else. I mean, he wouldn't lie about thinking the alarm resembled a door-access plate---not when the lie could be so easily disproven, right?

Finally found some pictures of the actual alarm he pulled, and, nope. Just a regular standard RED fire alarm pull-down. Fucking liar.

Aggie said...

We're getting to the point where we start to privately think there ought to have some huge, hairy bailiff in each and every courtroom, standing silently, with malice, behind the witness. Ready to reach out and slap their head whenever they start their sh*t.

Aggie said...

I mean, instead of a fuzzy picture, let's see the whole video, in HD. Let's see how he approached the alarm station, how he pulled the alarm, and what he did after. Did he try the door? Was it even locked, to begin with? Did he look around, surprised? You know what the answers are. But let's see the whole video.

mikee said...

Is stopping a Congressional vote now NOT an insurrection and sedition and treason and deserving of multi-year incarceration without bond before charges are levied and the trial occurs?

I think I'll switch parties and become a Democrat, they seem to get much kinder treatment for their misbehavior than anyone else.

Steven said...

The January 6 protesters have had sentences enhanced due to a lack of contrition. This slap on the wrist with no honest contrition for a member of Congress who sought to disrupt Congressional proceedings merely highlights the lack of equal justice under law that we now have. I would like to know if he conspired to disrupt Congress--did he discuss his plans with any other members or his staff? Seems hard to believe that he did not. Why was he not charged with conspiracy?

Res publica deleta est.

Rich said...

The dispute is over whether his intent was to slow the proceedings or to open a door that is normally propped open. That said — it’s nice to see a politician held to account in a court of law.

Joe Smith said...

Needs to do years in prison.

He's an insurrectionist obstructing the business of congress.

No exceptions.

Not my rules.

Gusty Winds said...

The best is the part where he says he thought the fire alarm would open the door.

That's admitting to a level of stupidity that is now common in modern America. However false, it's a plausible excuse for a Democrat in today's Congress .

rcocean said...

What a silly childish clown. But that describes Mitt Romney, Chuck Shumer and 90 percent of Congress.

loudogblog said...

It's been said that, in politics, the cover up is worse than the crime.

His lie is so bad that it makes him look dumb. (Which is not a good look for a politician.)

Most people who would have done this would have said, "I thought that I smelled smoke, but I must have been mistaken." But walking into a doorway that is clearly labeled with three big red signs saying, "emergency exit only" and thinking that is a legitimate non-emergency exit and then claiming that you thought that pulling the fire alarm would open the door (which was not locked because it's an emergency exit) is beyond ridiculous.

But he'll probably get a small fine and everyone will forget about this before the next elections roll around.

Big Mike said...

He's been sentenced to pay a $1000 fine, have three months' probation, and ordered to write a letter of apology.

One set of laws for Democrats, a different one for the rest of us.

Iman said...

Throw the book at the preening loudmouth liar.

Howard said...

I think the blog theme today is cognitive dissonance.

If this congressman is to be criticized it is for blatantly ripping off the Schtick of Precedent Donald Trump without proper attribution or credit.

JaimeRoberto said...

I plead not guilty by reason of stupidity, your honor.

Mark said...

You wanted video? He goes up to the door, removes the signs, moves over to the fire alarm, pulls it and walks away. Never once trying to go through the door he says he wanted to go through.

https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1717626120428802280

Narayanan said...

New Footage Reveals Bowman Removed Warning Signs Before Pulling Fire Alarm

Scott Patton said...

I'm disappointed in that lie. He should've pulled the classic, "Wasn't me."

Rocco said...

It could have been worse: He could have been confusing the fire alarm handle for the flush handle.

Marcus Bressler said...

Horseshit.

MarcusB. THEOLDMAN

n.n said...

DC statues... statutes allow Capitol punishment. "=" rights.

Mark said...

For those of you wanting the video, enjoy. What's truly damning to me is that he pulls signs down off a door, turns away from the door, pulls the alarm, and walks away.

https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/1717626120428802280?s=20

Rusty said...

Howard said...
"I think the blog theme today is cognitive dissonance.

If this congressman is to be criticized it is for blatantly ripping off the Schtick of Precedent Donald Trump without proper attribution or credit."
I hoped, with yor return, you might have upped your game. But as usual. You excel in meeting our low expectations.

TreHammer said...

The survailence security footage begs to differ