(Cupventi.com) – Jamaal Bowman, a Democratic representative from New York, had his chief of staff confirm an incident where a fire alarm was activated in a congressional office building on Saturday. The chief of staff expressed regret over any resulting confusion.
The House Administration committee announced an ongoing investigation into the occurrence, which took place in the Cannon Building. Sources also informed Fox News that Capitol Police questioned Bowman regarding the incident.
The alarm was triggered on the same afternoon as the stopgap spending bill vote, designed to prevent a government shutdown. Sarah Iddrissu, Bowman’s chief of staff, provided an explanation, stating that Bowman didn’t anticipate setting off the building’s alarm while rushing to cast an urgent vote.
She shared this information on X (formerly Twitter), reiterating Bowman’s regret for any confusion. Axios reported that Bowman told reporters he believed the alarm would simply unlock a door. In contrast, Representative Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) condemned the action as “absolutely outrageous” and “potentially criminal.”
Lawler expressed his disappointment, emphasizing that it’s inappropriate for any Congress member to pull a fire alarm in an attempt to delay congressional proceedings. He called for Bowman’s resignation if he was indeed responsible for the act. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy regarded the incident as “serious” and advocated for an investigation, asserting that there should be consequences and labeling the incident as an embarrassment.
Bowman clarified that he was trying to access a door when the alarm was set off. He explained to reporters that he was focused on reaching his vote and assumed that triggering the alarm would assist in opening the door. He expressed that causing confusion or activating the building’s alarm was not his intention.