Rep. Bowman Enjoys a Favorable Justice System

Written by Hudson Crozier

What happened: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) secured a plea deal with the Democrat attorney general of Washington, D.C., for his misdemeanor charge of wrongfully pulling a fire alarm in the U.S. Capitol building last month. He will pay a fine of $1,000 and submit a written apology to have the charge dropped. The charge normally carries up to six months in prison.

• The whole story: Bowman is seen on video removing a doorway’s emergency exit signs, pulling the fire alarm, and immediately walking away. Lawmakers evacuated, canceling a vote on Republican spending priorities. Bowman later claimed he only meant to open a door.

Why it matters: Former President Donald Trump and hundreds of his supporters have been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding — a felony that brings up to 20 years in prison — because of the January 6, 2021, Capitol protest. Despite clear evidence against him, Bowman is not facing the same scrutiny under a favorable system controlled by his party.

What happens to Republicans: The obstruction charge has been used to jail Trump supporters for peacefully protesting with the permission of police. Trump, who wasn’t at the Capitol and did not call for a disruption of proceedings, is accused of obstruction and “conspiracy to obstruct.”

• Double standard: President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice pulled the obstruction charge from a 2002 law never before used against protesters, thus creating a new type of crime to turn conservatives into felons. The DOJ refuses to bring similar charges against Bowman.