White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to comment on a Democratic lawmaker who pulled a fire alarm over the weekend in a House office building as House Democrats were looking to delay voting on a Republican short-term spending bill to keep the government open.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who has admitted to pulling the fire alarm, is under investigation by U.S. Capitol Police and by congressional investigators over the incident. He claims that he pulled the fire alarm because he was trying to get out of the building to go vote and that he thought that pulling the alarm would open the door.
A reporter asked Jean-Pierre about the matter during Monday’s White House press conference after it gained significant attention over the weekend.
“Would President Biden ever try to get out of a meeting by pulling a fire alarm?” the reporter asked as people in the room, including Jean-Pierre, chuckled.
“Are you talking about something specifically?” KJP asked.
“A Democratic member of Congress pulled a fire alarm around a series of votes,” the reporter responded. “No fire. Is that appropriate?”
“What I can tell you is I have not [talked] — spoken to the President about this,” Jean-Pierre answered. “And so, just not going — just not going to comment. I will leave it up to — I know there’s a House process moving forward right now. I’ll leave it to the House.”
WATCH:
KJP to Doocy on Bowman pulling the fire alarm: "What I can tell you is I have not talken [sic]–spoken to the President about this & so, just not going to comment. I would leave it up to–I know there's a House process moving forward right now. I would leave it to [them]." pic.twitter.com/F22O0Z8DTZ
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 2, 2023
Related: Bowman’s Office Urged Democrats To Distract From Fire Alarm Incident By Calling Republicans ‘Nazis’
