Late last month, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pulled a fire alarm in a congressional office building shortly before the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on a government funding bill.
‘The Squad’ member and his office quickly dismissed the incident as an accident, while others speculated that he was trying to interfere with the vote. Megyn, for one, said “there was no confusion” and newly released video of the incident seemingly confirms that was the case. What’s more? The congressman just pleaded guilty to one count of falsely pulling a fire alarm.
On Friday’s show, Megyn was joined by Jesse Kelly, host of TheFirst TV’s I’m Right, to discuss Bowman’s actions and why the United States has “a people problem.”
Bowman’s Blunder
Back on September 30, the House passed a stopgap spending measure at the eleventh hour to fund the government for 45 days – but not before Bowman pulled a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building.
In the aftermath of the incident, the NYC Democrat framed it as nothing more than an embarrassing gaffe. In a statement released on X (formerly known as Twitter), Bowman said he was “rushing to make a vote” when he came to a door that is usually open. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door,” the statement read. “But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay a vote.”
He subsequently bristled at members of the media who sought further clarity. “You know, I don’t know why this has gotten so much attention. I was literally just in a rush to go vote, man. That’s all it was,” he told reporters. “I mean, listen, I’ll take responsibility for what I did. You know, but like I said, I was in a rush to go vote. And, you know, [the] investigation will sort everything else out.”
At the time, only a single photo of the incident was released (above). It showed Bowman pulling the alarm and something in his left hand but not much else. Many in the press tried to defend Bowman’s actions by showing pictures of signage that is usually in the area, but Megyn was skeptical. “Even our little four year olds know ‘fire’ means you’re calling the fire department because there’s a fire – it doesn’t open doors,” she noted at the time. “There was no confusion. He pulled the fire alarm, and he knew very well what they were going to do.”
As it turns out, she was onto something.
Bowman Gets Busted
New video footage released Thursday shows Bowman tried to open the doors in question, presumably to activate the alarm. When that didn’t work, he removed the emergency exit signs from the doors before pulling the fire alarm. Rather than try to go through the doors, the congressman turned and walked away with a sign in tow.
Megyn was “pleased” with the latest development. “I have to say, I didn’t realize he took the signs away, but I knew it was bullshit because those signs were not there,” she said. “The doors didn’t confuse you… He is truly caught red handed.”
The incriminating tape comes on the heels of Bowman pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm. He entered his plea in D.C. Superior Court on Thursday after working out a deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors. Bowman is required to pay a $1,000 fine and write an apology letter to the U.S. Capitol Police chief. Assuming he breaks no other laws in the meantime, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss the charge in three months’ time.
Megyn said the double standard cannot be overstated. “If this were, you know, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), can you imagine the amount of coverage that video would be everywhere? This guy lied – not only did he pull the fire alarm intentionally, he lied repeatedly to investigators to the public,” she explained. “There are guys who don’t have a ‘representative’ in front of their name, who have been sentenced to actual jail time for doing far less on January 6 to disrupt a congressional proceeding. It’s absurd.”
‘A People Problem’
If you are wondering whether or not this incident will have any impact on the 47-year-old former principal’s reelection chances, Kelly said it doesn’t really matter. “Jamaal Bowman is… an idiot and a piece of trash, but, if you think you’re disappointed now, wait to see the results of the next election,” he said. “We blame these politicians… but we don’t have a politician problem in this country, we have a people problem.”
As Kelly explained, politicians like Bowman – who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester – are a reflection of those who vote for them. “We have a culture of people, especially in various parts of this country, that have no idea what they want,” he shared. “Jamaal Bowman will be reelected easily in his district the next time, so do we have a Jamaal Bowman problem or do we have a people problem?”
In Kelly’s view, the U.S. has “a people problem” that is “much more difficult” to fix. “It’s easy to convince yourself, ‘I’ll just get rid of Jamaal Bowman and the country will be fine,’” he concluded. “But you can replace the entire government with a bunch of clones of Thomas Jefferson and, if you still have a people problem, you fix nothing.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Kelly by tuning in to episode 657 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.