Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed the incident that occurred when fellow Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulled a fire alarm at a congressional office building during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. At first, she attempted to explain the occurrence by stating that it occurred in a moment of panic during the vote to prevent a shutdown of the government. However, this explanation was quickly debunked. Ocasio-Cortez, however, responded positively when presenter Jake Tapper explicitly inquired as to whether or not Bowman had pulled the fire alarm.
She continued by saying that Bowman is completely collaborating with the House administration as well as the United States Capitol Police in reference to what she referred to as a “misunderstanding.” Bowman had said that he had set the fire alarm because he thought it would open the door. He insisted that he was not attempting to postpone the vote, but rather that he was trying to get to it as quickly as possible.
After that, Ocasio-Cortez moved her emphasis to Republicans and accused them of hypocrisy in their statements. She blasted them for trying to remove Bowman while supposedly supporting GOP Rep. George Santos, who is facing a 13-count federal indictment for accusations including money laundering and lying to Congress. She said that they were trying to protect Santos while at the same time trying to oust Bowman. Ocasio-Cortez made the argument that Republicans have to examine their own ideals in light of this situation.