Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) released a new statement on Saturday night about why he allegedly decided to pull a fire alarm earlier in the day which has landed him under investigation and sparked calls that he should be criminally charged and expelled from Congress.
Bowman, who is a former school principal, pulled the fire alarm in the House Cannon office building as House Democrats were trying to delay a vote on a GOP stopgap spending bill, which sparked an evacuation of the building.
“I want to personally clear up confusion surrounding today’s events,” Bowman said in a statement. “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.”
“But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote,” he claimed. “It was the exact opposite – I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open. I also met after the vote with the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police, at their request, and explained what had happened. My hope is that no one will make more of this than it was. I am working hard every day, including today, to do my job, to do it well, and deliver for my constituents.”
Punchbowl News co-founder John Bresnahan posted a photo of the door where Bowman pulled the fire alarm which shows that a red sign that reads “EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY” was present at the time that Bowman pulled the lever.
An additional photo showed that the fire alarm was the only thing fixed to the wall that could be activated that did not require a maintenance key.
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