Bowman claimed to have pulled the fire alarm in confusion while attempting to open a locked door en route to the House floor.
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday called for Representative Jamaal Bowman to “suffer” like January 6, 2021, Capitol rioters, after the congressman pulled a fire alarm at a U.S. Capitol office building as lawmakers sought to reach an agreement to fund the federal government in order to avert a shutdown.
The incident took place on Saturday in the Cannon building, the oldest congressional office building in Washington, D.C., where Bowman’s office is located, amid the frenzied efforts by the House to pass a stopgap funding bill and avert a government shutdown. Bowman, a Democrat who has represented New York’s 16th District since 2021, pulled a fire alarm near one of the building’s exits, prompting an evacuation.
In the wake of the incident, Bowman claimed that he had pulled the fire alarm out of confusion while attempting to open a nearby exit door in a rush to get to the House floor.
“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,” the congressman said in a statement. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote.”
Numerous Republicans, however, have come forward demanding punishment for Bowman, varying in severity from an ethics inquiry to expulsion from the House to his arrest.
