Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s Office Refers To Republicans As ‘Nazis’ In Memo Days After Fire Alarm Scandal

U.S Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is starting a fire on Capitol Hill after a memo released by his office called Republican colleagues “Nazis,” The Daily Mail reports.

After being accused of deliberately setting off the fire alarm to delay a government shutdown vote, Bowman’s office sent a memo to fellow Democrats Oct. 2 after learning GOP members were bidding to have him expelled from Congress. The memo suggests tips on how they should rally around Bowman in their dealings with the media.

“I believe Congressman Bowman when he says this was an accident,” the memo instructed. “Republicans need to instead focus their energy on the Nazi members of their party before anything else.”

Bowman distanced himself from the offending text.

“I just became aware that in our messaging guidance, there was inappropriate use of the term Nazi without my consent,” Bowman said. “I condemn the use of the term Nazi out of its precise definition. It is important to specify the term Nazi to refer to members of the Nazi party & neo-Nazis.”

Bowman added that the fire alarm incident was simply a mistake.

“I was just trying to get to my vote. The door thatʼs usually open wasnʼt open,” Bowman said, according to POLITICO. “I didnʼt mean to cause confusion. I didnʼt know it was going to trip the whole building. I thought the alarm would help me open the door.”

Republican lawmakers are calling on him to receive the same treatment as January 6 defendants.

“It’s not just the act of pulling a fire alarm. It was during an official proceeding,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) told Fox and Friends. “That is the same thing that they have gone after those individuals who walked into the Capitol on Jan. 6th.”

In a memo, Malliotakis called her colleague’s actions “juvenile” and that they “violated both federal and local law, and he must be held accountable.”