The saga of “squad” member Jamaal Bowman and the false fire alarm at the Capitol complex on September 30 appears to be drawing to a rather low-key close. Bowman was charged with a misdemeanor yesterday and will reportedly be booked today. While the charge of raising a false fire alarm can carry a sentence of up to six months in jail, Bowman will plead guilty, pay a $1,000 fine, and write a formal letter of apology to the Capitol Hill Police. Assuming he stays out of further trouble, he can have the charges withdrawn after three months. Calls from other members of the House to have him censured or removed have not resulted in any action. (NY Post)

Far-left New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman was charged with a misdemeanor Wednesday after he pulled a fire alarm last month to delay a House vote on spending legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Bowman, 47, was due to be booked at processed by Capitol Police Thursday on the charge of raising a false fire alarm, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.

Bowman had insisted the Sept. 30 mishap was an honest mistake caused by him trying to open a door to rush to a vote.

While I suppose this is a better outcome than simply sweeping it under the rug and making it all go away, this is still pretty much a nothingburger in terms of accountability for a member of Congress. Bowman’s story has been an obvious dodge from the beginning. There is video of him studying the fire alarm mechanism, jogging away after he triggers it without attempting to open the door, and then walking out of the building at a normal pace through another exit. Based on his professional history, he was already very familiar with fire alarms. For the casual observer, there are only two conclusions that might be drawn. Either he intentionally triggered the alarm to delay the vote on the continuing resolution or he is simply too stupid to be serving in any position more complicated than running a lemonade stand. (And even that might be a stretch.)

Also, if this was truly just an “honest mistake,” why did Bowman not immediately alert people and let them know there was no true emergency or cause for alarm, both figuratively and literally? He let everyone continue exiting the building as if there might actually be a fire or some other emergency taking place. He remained silent about his actions until he was confronted by an investigator and told that they had the video of him doing it. Those are the actions of a guilty person hoping to get away with something.

If, as it seems obvious, Jamaal Bowman was attempting to disrupt or obstruct a Congressional proceeding, receiving a small fine and issuing an apology doesn’t even qualify as a slap on the wrist. There are hundreds of people sitting behind bars today for precisely the same charges. But Bowman is part of the preferred political class in Washington, so any sense of accountability clearly doesn’t apply to him.

Now that we have finally seated a new Speaker and the House is returning to normal order, perhaps they can stir themselves to take action. Even if it’s only a misdemeanor, a member of the House has pleaded guilty to a crime. He should at least be censored, though removing him from the chamber should have at least been on the table given how others who have been found guilty of obstructing Congress have been treated.