Rep. Jamaal Bowman agreed to plead guilty to a local criminal count for pulling a fire alarm in a House of Representatives building on Sept. 30 during a debate on a government-funding bill to avert a government shutdown.
Mr. Bowman’s office said the lawmaker has reached an agreement with the D.C. attorney general for the charges to be dropped in three months in exchange for a formal apology and a $1,000 fine.
“I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped,” Mr. Bowman, New York Democrat, said in a statement.
Gabriel Shoglow-Rubenstein, a spokesperson for the D.C. attorney general’s office, confirmed the plea deal to Axios.
“He is pleading guilty and has agreed to pay the maximum fine,” she said.
Mr. Bowman, a member of Congress’ far-left “Squad,” was charged Wednesday afternoon with pulling a false fire alarm, which he did as Democrats sought to delay a vote on a stopgap funding bill as a government shutdown loomed.
His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday morning.
He told the agents that he saw a sign near an exit that said “emergency exit only push to open” and then pulled the lever next to the door, which must have been the alarm, according to the arrest warrant.
“[Mr. Bowman] advised that usually when votes are called, all doors are open, and that door is usually open (the second-floor door leading to Independence Ave). The defendant further stated that this door was a usual door he uses. The defendant advised that he then went to a Dem (Democratic) meeting and a vote at the Capitol, then the House Sergeant at Arms contacted him,” the warrant said.
The warrant was first obtained by Fox News.
Mr. Bowman told the agent that he did not want to cause a fire alarm and did not want to disrupt or obstruct a congressional proceeding.
He added that he needed to contact his lawyer and refused to make any additional statements.
House Republicans have demanded Mr. Bowman receive similar treatment as the Jan. 6 protesters received for breaching the Capitol in 2021.
Mr. Bowman said in a statement at the time that he pulled a Cannon House Office Building fire alarm because he was “rushing to make a vote” and thought that activating the alarm would open a nearby door.
“I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open,” he said. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door,” he said.
The alarm’s going off led to an evacuation of the building while police checked for a threat.
“I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused. But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote,” Mr. Bowman said. “It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did.”
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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