To postpone the vote: Politician sets off fire alarms in the US Congress

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A Democratic lawmaker has been fined $1,000 for setting off a false fire alarm before a controversial vote in Congress. Jamaal Bowman, 47, pleaded guilty Thursday in a Washington state court to a lesser offense, court records show. If he pays the fine and apologizes in writing to the Capitol Police, the case against him should be dismissed within three months.

The combative lawmaker set off a fire alarm in a congress building in late September, ahead of the vote on an interim budget. The Cannon House office building then had to be evacuated for about an hour.

“I am responsible for it”

According to his own statements, the 47-year-old, who rushed to the vote, wanted to open a locked door by setting off the fire alarm. Opposition Republicans, however, accuse Bowman of trying to delay the vote. After the incident, the deputy walked past several Capitol Police officers without clarifying the situation.

Bowman himself said Thursday that he was grateful that congressional police did not accuse him of blocking a vote. “I am responsible for setting off the fire alarm, I will pay the fine and I am happy that the proceedings are ultimately dismissed.”

He voted for it

To avoid a so-called shutdown, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed an interim budget at the end of September that guarantees funding for federal authorities until mid-November. Bowman also voted for the bill, which was controversial among Democrats because it did not include new military aid to Ukraine.

To pass the interim budget, then-Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (58) worked with Democrats, angering right-wing hardliners from within his own ranks. That led to McCarthy’s ouster on October 3 – and a three-week chaos in the search for a successor, which only ended on Wednesday with the election of arch-conservative MP Mike Johnson. (AFP/jmh)

Source: Blick