Republican Campaign Operatives Deliver Parting Gifts to Defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman

https://icaro.icaromediagroup.com/system/images/photos/16272570/original/open-uri20240626-56-ltqt86?1719442567
ICARO Media Group
Politics
26/06/2024 22h44

In a move that can only be described as a cheeky farewell gesture, House Republican campaign operatives decided to have some fun at the expense of recently defeated Congressman Jamaal Bowman. After his primary loss to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) sent Bowman an unemployment package that included some rather interesting presents.

One of the gifts was a photo of Bowman dressed in full firefighter gear, referencing his guilty plea for falsely pulling a fire alarm last year to delay a House vote. Accompanying the photo was a form advertising an open position for a "fire inspector," with an hourly pay rate listed at $28.25, equating to an annual salary just shy of $60,000 before taxes. The employment application even boasted a workplace reference from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had endorsed Bowman and made a last-minute robocall in support of his campaign.

Included in the severance package was a photo of a fire alarm with the caption, "In case of firing, file for unemployment." The trolling attempt aimed to emphasize Bowman's redundancy, as he lost the race for New York's 16th Congressional District to Latimer by a sizable margin of nearly 17 percentage points.

Macy Gardner, the NRCC rapid response director, issued a statement following the primary defeat, stating that the resounding loss should serve as a "serious red flag" for extreme House Democrats who align with anti-Semitism and advocate defunding the police. Gardner expressed skepticism about Bowman's potential new career as a firefighter but wished him luck in his unemployment application, adding, "Good riddance."

Bowman's office had not responded to a request for comment at the time of this report. However, an aide was captured on video disposing of the golden parachute opportunity provided by the NRCC, throwing it straight into the trash.

On the morning following his defeat, Bowman was seen exiting his Yonkers home, sporting a gray "Star Wars" shirt while maintaining a sour expression for the cameras. In response to questions about his loss, he declined to comment, accusing a Post photographer of presenting a "security issue" by appearing on his doorstep.

The incident for which Bowman pleaded guilty last year involved pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building, causing a one-and-a-half-hour evacuation and delaying a crucial House vote to avert a government shutdown. Although Bowman initially claimed it was an accident, a Capitol Police investigator testified that he observed the congressman jogging after tripping the alarm and then casually walking away when exiting the building. The investigator also noted that Bowman passed numerous police officers without informing them of the incident.

In addition to the fire alarm incident, Bowman has attracted controversy in the past. As a former middle school principal, he had blogged about 9/11 conspiracy theories, suggesting that Osama bin Laden was wrongly blamed for the terrorist attack and claiming that World Trade Center building Number 7 was destroyed in a controlled demolition. Recently, he issued a belated apology for falsely accusing initial reports of rape and child murder during Hamas' massacre in Israel as a "lie."

As Bowman begins to navigate his post-congressional career, the House Republican campaign operatives couldn't resist having some fun at his expense, using their parting gift to remind him of his past controversies.

The views expressed in this article do not reflect the opinion of ICARO, or any of its affiliates.

Related