Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) was caught red-handed pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building during a House vote to avert a government shutdown. The incident has taken social media by storm, with members of the chattering class weighing in on the controversy.

Bowman was caught on camera pulling the fire alarm. He has been questioned by Capitol police.

While House Democrats were attempting to adjourn until Monday, despite a looming government shutdown, they got a little assist when a fire alarm sounded in the Cannon House Office Building, forcing an evacuation. Unfortunately for them, Politico is reporting that Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is the person who pulled it, and that he's on film doing so.

BREAKING: Capitol police release photo of Jamaal Bowman pulling the fire alarm. pic.twitter.com/XpUoEu9lU4

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 30, 2023

Bowman’s spokesperson claimed he pulled the alarm because he believed it was a switch that would open the door. He also mentioned that he had a piece of prime oceanfront property in Idaho to sell to anyone who is interested.

I might have made that last part up, but at this point, it might as well be true.

Naturally, folks on the right pilloried the congressman for pulling the stunt – especially while the House was engaged in a vote. It seems clear that he broke the law in an effort to disrupt the proceedings. It is an offense under which Bowman could be charged as a felony, if America did not have a two-tier justice system. As RedState’s Bonchie pointed out:

No one is above the law, and because of that Bowman absolutely needs to be charged for pulling the fire alarm. He allegedly broke at least two laws, one federal and one local, with his act. As in just about any municipality, it is illegal to pull a fire alarm under false pretenses. More seriously, though, it is a felony to obstruct a federal proceeding, and guess what a House vote is?

Yet, we already know how this is going to play out, don’t we?

Bowman is not going to be charged or otherwise held accountable for his actions. Being a member of Congress, he is a member of the elite ruling class, which means he enjoys a level of immunity that is unattainable for we the plebes. Indeed, even the press is going easy on him instead of speaking truth to power.

This story highlights a harsh reality that many don’t want to face: The reason why people like Bowman can flout the law with impunity is because we allow it. We are quick to decry the apparent injustice in situations such as this – but it tends to go no further than that. The citizenry continually elects people who uphold the two-tier justice system and only seem to care about corruption when it involves someone of the opposite party. Until there is a paradigm shift in our mindset, this will only continue.

Of course, one could also make the argument that the elites have grown so powerful that they have already created a system that will shield them and uphold their power, even if the public gets on the same page and speaks out against corruption regardless of party. This could very well be the case. But if it is, then perhaps we are in a much worse position than we previously thought. Still, if we actually want this to stop, we have to be willing to take political action beyond mere words.