Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) set off a fire alarm inside a House office building prior to a vote on federal spending, and former President Trump is curious whether he will face charges and go to jail.
Someone broke into the U.S. Capitol and slowed down lawmakers’ work to confirm President Biden’s election win. Trump talked about this in a post on his social media site, Truth Social.
“Will Congressman Jamal Bowman face legal action and imprisonment for shockingly pulling and activating the main fire alarm system in an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote taking place in Washington, D.C.?” Trump wrote in his post.
“His heinous act is caught on tape, a horrible demonstration of nerve and criminality,” Trump said, referring to a picture that was shared on social media. “The same tactic utilized against our J-6 inmates, ‘Obstruction of an Official Proceeding,’ was employed in this extremely risky situation. In fact, what he did might have been worse. He has to go through the same thing they did. WHEN DOES HIS TRIAL BEGIN?”
The Department of Justice says that over 1,100 individuals have been charged with crimes associated with January 6. Many of them are being charged with interfering with an official process. Some suspects have already been found guilty and sent to prison. Republicans are worried about the conditions inside the D.C. jail where some people charged on January 6 were being held.
While campaigning for a second term in office in 2024, Trump is also attempting to defend himself against accusations of obstruction in a case involving the 2020 election that special counsel Jack Smith has initiated.
Others, besides Trump, demanded that Bowman suffer consequences for invoking January 6.
“How come there are no consequences when Representative Jamal Bowman (D-NY) triggers a fire alarm amid a vote, obviously ‘interfering with an ongoing legislative proceeding?’” In a letter to X, Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT) asked. “But people from all over the country who traveled to Washington on January 6 to demonstrate are in jail for not doing as much!Need #EqualJustice?”
Bowman issued a statement in which he insisted that he erred while traveling from the Cannon House Office Building to the adjoining U.S. Capitol Building to vote on a spending package. Bowman is currently the subject of an inquiry into the fire alarm incident.
“I was in a hurry to vote today, and I got to a door that usually opens for voting but wouldn’t open today. I feel bad saying this, but I set off the fire alarm because I thought it was going to open the door.” Bowman said, “I’m sorry for any misunderstanding this caused; I regret doing this.”
The congressman also claimed that setting off the fire alarm was not a way to delay the fight over spending, which led to a 45-day continuing resolution that kept the government open.
“To be quite clear, though,” Bowman added, “I was not attempting to stall any votes in any way. Quite the contrary—I was attempting to force a vote, which I finally accomplished and joined my fellow lawmakers in a bipartisan endeavor to maintain the operation of our government.”
