Bowman camp slams ‘Nazi’ Republicans after fire alarm flap

Bowman camp slams ‘Nazi’ Republicans after fire alarm flap

Rep. Jamaal Bowman is circulating a list of talking points to fellow Democrats in a bid to stop the burgeoning GOP push to punish him after he set off a House fire alarm during Saturday’s chaotic spending votes.

The New York Democrat’s press secretary sent a memo on Monday afternoon to all House Democratic offices requesting that they defend Bowman for the flap over the alarm, which has prompted a Republican push to sanction him. A copy of the office’s communique was obtained by POLITICO,

One suggested response from Bowman’s office to questions about the incident: “I believe Congressman Bowman when he says this was an accident. Republicans need to instead focus their energy on the Nazi members of their party before anything else.”

The memo includes other suggested responses for Democratic members to use and tweets to post in defense of Bowman. Republicans have vowed to punish the progressive in the wake of the incident, with some threatening to introduce motions to expel him from Congress.

Also underscored in the document is Bowman’s Saturday statement that claimed he “didn’t mean to cause confusion” when he pulled the fire alarm.

“I was just trying to get to my vote. The door thatʼs usually open wasnʼt open. I didnʼt mean to cause confusion. I didnʼt know it was going to trip the whole building. I thought [the alarm] would help me open the door,” Bowman said Saturday.

Capitol Police have opened their own investigation into the incident; the department did not respond to a request for comment on its status.