Former Republican Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia told Newsmax on Monday that Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., must face consequences from the House of Representatives and the D.C. courts after he was caught pulling a Capitol Hill fire alarm.
"It really is an issue … not to let this slide because, at minimum, it's a misdemeanor, at worst, it's a felony if they can somehow show that he was trying to prevent the proceedings from going on," Collins told "American Agenda." "I think that will be a harder stretch, but I mean, just simply, he cannot get away with this, with nothing happening, and I think this will be the issue coming before the House and also the courts in D.C."
Bowman said he mistakenly pulled the fire alarm Saturday at the Cannon House Office Building as the House was in session to pass a stopgap funding bill to keep the government operating. He said in a news release he couldn't open a door and pulled the alarm thinking it would open the door. He denied he was trying to stop or delay the House vote.
"It's one thing to do something pretty stupid. It's another thing to come out with the statements that he has made since then about what he did," Collins said. "You've seen fire alarms all your life, I would assume. OK, maybe a big assumption here, but I would assume he's seen a fire alarm before. And you pull the fire alarm in case of fire, not in case of I don't know how to work a door.
"It doesn't make sense. It's a really bad look and especially for everything else that has been going on in D.C. for him to do that. There are plenty of ways for him to get to the Capitol and you know how to get there. He could have had his staff call ahead. There were ways to say, Look, hey, I'm still coming. This is not the way to do it."
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