New Democrat Rep. Jaamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm Saturday in the U.S. Capitol on his way to a vote on a funding measure to keep the government from shutting down.
Bowman says he pulled the alarm by accident.
“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” he said in a statement.
“But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open.”