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'Liars covering liar's lies': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed as she defends Jamaal Bowman's fire alarm incident

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Jamaal Bowman's alleged move of pulling a fire alarm during the House's stopgap voting a 'misunderstanding'

WASHINGTON, DC: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez found herself at the center of a social media outrage after coming to the defense of fellow New York Representative Jamaal Bowman, who faced criticism for allegedly pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol on Saturday, September 30.

The incident, captured on camera and widely circulated, has raised questions and garnered mixed reactions from the public and lawmakers alike.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offers explanation for Jamaal Bowman incident 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeared on CNN's Jake Tapper's show on Sunday, attempting to shed light on Jamaal Bowman's actions, chalking them up to a "moment of panic."

She suggested that the pressure and chaos surrounding the impending government shutdown, which Congress successfully averted late on Saturday, played a significant role in the incident.

Ocasio-Cortez explained, "I think there's something to be said that 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."

In retaliation, Tapper inquired, "So he pulled the fire alarm?" It's a question that many have been asking, given the apparent absurdity of activating a fire alarm to open a door.

Bowman himself released a statement, claiming that in his rush to make it on time to vote for a stopgap spending bill, he "activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door."

The backdrop of this incident was crucial, as Congress was on the verge of voting on a bipartisan bill to keep the government open for 45 days and prevent a shutdown.

Even though the bill had overwhelming Democratic support, party members were scrambling to read it after it was unveiled by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Ocasio-Cortez, in her defense of Bowman, described the series of events as a "misunderstanding," adding that the latter is actively working to clarify with the House administration and Capitol Police.

Jamaal Bowman issued a statement regarding pulling the fire alarm

Jamaal Bowman, who has represented New York's 16th Congressional District since 2021, expressed regret for his actions and offered apologies for any confusion caused.

Congressional GOP members initiated an investigation and began preparing legislation to expel Bowman from the House, citing allegations of obstructing an official proceeding.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy went as far as comparing Bowman's actions to the events of January 6, 2021, in the same Capitol complex, stating, "We watched how people have been treated if they’ve done something wrong in this Capitol."

He added. "It will be interesting to see how he is treated on what he was trying to obstruct when it came to the American public."

Firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene called for the Justice Department to prosecute Bowman under the same federal statute that prohibits obstructing or impeding any official proceeding, drawing parallels to the participant present on January 6, 2021.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vehemently criticized Republicans for their efforts to expel Bowman, alleging a double standard in protecting Congressman Santos.

She argued, "[Bowman] apologized, and [Republicans] 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."

AOC even suggested that her GOP colleagues should reevaluate their own values, as per Fox News. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces backlash for backing Jamaal Bowman

Unsurprisingly, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's defense of Jamaal Bowman triggered a social media storm, especially on X (formerly Twitter). 

One wrote, "Liars covering liar's lies...," while another said, "Deflection is right out of the Marxist playbook. If anything the congresswoman is well schooled."

"She’s pathetic," stated a person.

One more noted, "Hold up. She forgot to mention this part of the story:Bowman ripped down two signs warning on a second floor door in the Cannon House Office Building was for emergency use only before pulling the fire alarm and running out like his hair was on fire through a different door on a different floor."  

A user inquired, "Does anyone actually care about or value anything aoc says ?" 

Rep George Santos mocks Jamaal Bowman's fire alarm incident

Remarkably, George Santos, the target of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's defense, joined in the wave to mock Jamaal Bowman's alleged mistake.

He posted a video on social media, humorously explaining how to use a fire alarm, seemingly poking fun at Bowman's apparent lack of knowledge on the subject.

"Hi boys and girls, this is Congressman George Santos. This here's a fire alarm," said the representative, pointing to what appeared to be a standard fire alarm.

Santos further stated, "If you lift this part here and pull this down, you trigger an alarm. Don't do it. Stay good kids," before walking off. The video garnered significant attention, with nearly 900,000 views.