The laughable defenses of a Democratic lawmaker’s fire alarm stunt were topped by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as she twisted a “moment of panic” into strained whataboutism.
(Video: CNN)
Corporate media didn’t lose a step Saturday after New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D) was caught on video pulling a fire alarm on Capitol Hill in what appeared to be an effort to obstruct an official government proceeding. While the “Squad” member’s excuse for his supposed error was taken at face value, calling to mind notions of a mostly peaceful insurrection, his district neighbor tried to turn the focus to their New York Republican colleague Rep. George Santos.
Joining CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez backed up the former school principal’s stated duress and confusion when confronted with a readily labeled door in the halls of his place of business for nearly three years.
“I think if you actually do see some of the photos of the signs, I think there’s something to be said about, the government’s about to shut down, there’s a vote clock that’s going down, the exits that are normally open in that building were suddenly closed-” she tried only to be interrupted by CNN anchor Jake Tapper. “So you pull the fire alarm?”
Failing on that front, the congresswoman turned to federal charges brought against Santos that included alleged false statements, fraud and money laundering as members of the GOP prepared to file motions to censure or expel Bowman ahead of any investigative findings.
“They are protecting someone who has lied to the American people, lied to the United States House of Representatives, lied to congressional investigators. But they’re filing a motion to expel a member who in a moment of panic was trying to escape a vestibule? Give me a break,” decried Ocasio-Cortez, herself under ethics investigations.
“The idea that there is somehow any kind of equivalence to someone who is actively trying to clear up a situation that he himself admits he’s embarrassed, he released a statement last night, he apologized, and they are protecting someone who has not only committed wire fraud, not only defrauded veterans, not only lied to congressional investigators but is openly gloating about it, is absolutely humiliating to the Republican caucus,” she continued, “and I think that they should really check their own values.”
For his part, Santos, whom Bowman had shouted down earlier in the year before calling for him to “resign or be expelled because of the laws that he is being accused of breaking,” had fun with the apparent stunt pulled with the fire alarm and offered his colleague a short tutorial.
On social media, the GOP representative said, “Hi boys and girls. This is Congressman George Santos. This here is a fire alarm. If you lift this part here and pull this down,” he demonstrated, “you trigger an alarm. Don’t do it. Stay good kids.”
The video was captioned, “PSA: especially to all the boys and girls who were students at Cornerstone Academy for Social Action because your principal may not have taught you.”
PSA: especially to all the boys and girls who were students at Cornerstone Academy for Social Action because your principal may not have taught you. pic.twitter.com/bgXuEwTobm
— Rep. George Santos (@RepSantosNY03) September 30, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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