Jamaal Bowman’s Sweetheart Deal
The House rep is charged with only a misdemeanor. With a fine and apology, he gets a clean record in three months. Hello, two-tiered justice.
When New York House Congressman Jamaal Bowman pulled that fire alarm on September 30, he wasn’t banking on a few things. One, that he would be filmed, i.e. caught in the act. Two, that his story wouldn’t hold water in light of the evidence. What he did bank on was a lenient sentence. So he insisted that he pulled the fire alarm thinking it would open the doors. He claims that he most certainly was not trying to delay a House vote.
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has charged Bowman with a misdemeanor: One count of pulling a fire alarm. This misdemeanor generally has a minimum sentence of six months jail time, but for Congressman Bowman, he only has to pay $1,000 and write an apology letter to the Capitol Police. After doing both these things, the charges will be dropped against him after three months. In other words, his crime will be expunged.
Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman says he struck a deal with fellow Democrat D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb to have the fire alarm charges expunged from his record once he pays a fine pic.twitter.com/uzLPqxA3TG
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 26, 2023
Bowman’s statement upon his guilty plea was defiant: “I’m thankful for the quick resolution from the District of Columbia Attorney General’s office on this issue and grateful that the United States Capitol Police General Counsel’s office agreed I did not obstruct nor intend to obstruct any House vote or proceedings. I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped.”
There are several big hitches in Bowman’s attempt to pass this charge off as being held accountable. The first big red flag is that the official affidavit written by the Capitol Police states that they do think Bowman’s pulling the fire alarm was an intentional act to disrupt the workings of Congress. They based this on Bowman’s actions both during and after the incident. But the DC attorney general is only fining him? Something doesn’t add up here. That something is two-tiered justice.
The video of Bowman pulling the fire alarm was released to the public yesterday. Does this look like a man who is bewildered and trying to open a usually open door, as he claimed? Does this look like a man who, as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries insisted yesterday, committed “what appears to have been an inadvertent action”?
No. From what the video shows, he didn’t even attempt to open the door. Instead, he deliberately pulled down warning signs and then pulled the alarm with no hesitation.
🚨 NEW FOOTAGE: Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman removes warning signs before pulling the fire alarm in a House office building last month pic.twitter.com/dhwOQN2G6y
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 26, 2023
It’s convenient that the video wasn’t released until after Bowman’s slap on the wrist was made public. The court of public opinion might have put more pressure on the AG. Ultimately, the timing of the video release seems to rub the American people’s noses in it. There is one set of rules for the Left, and one set for the rest of the population.
Why bother to even charge Bowman if they so clearly don’t care about justice being served? Former prosecutor Andrew McCarthy points out that the only reason Democrats are allowing him to be charged at all is to protect the “Squad” member. This misdemeanor — which is the Left’s sorry excuse for “accountability” — shield’s Bowman from future prosecution. To charge him again with this crime would be considered double jeopardy.
Bowman was quick to shift attention away from himself and back toward the Republicans. He said: “I think we all know that Republicans will attempt to use this to distract everyone from their mess. But I look forward to putting this behind me and to continue working hard to deliver for New Yorkers.”
Sadly for him, Republicans have settled on a new House speaker, and so that particular absurd political theater is no longer a useful distraction for him. Bowman is now front and center. People can see his actions and judge for themselves. Based on the video, his story and misdemeanor charge are shown for the façade they are.
The Democrats protect those who are politically useful to them. That’s why Jamaal Bowman and Hunter Biden get the kid-glove treatment and former Governor Andrew Cuomo is disgraced. It’s all about power, and the Democrats are showing once again that they have a huge majority of it.
