The House Ethics Committee is not planning to pursue an investigation into Rep. Jamaal Bowman over allegations that he purposefully pulled a fire alarm while Congress was in session.
In September, while Congress was voting on a bill that would prevent a government shutdown, Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon House, an office building connected by tunnel to the Capitol. Bowman quickly clarified that pulling the alarm was an accident. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door,” Bowman said.
After the incident, Republicans attacked Bowman, claiming that pulling the alarm was tantamount to insurrection. In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump called for Bowman to be imprisoned like the January 6 rioters.
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In its decision, the Committee referenced a formal censure against Bowman introduced by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), which the GOP-led House passed in December.
“In light of the House’s intervening censure of Representative Bowman, the Committee determined that further review of Representative Bowman’s conduct would be moot,” Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) and Ranking Member Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) said in a statement.
In October, Bowman pleaded guilty in Superior Court to one count of falsely pulling a fire alarm, and agreed to write an apology letter to the U.S. Capitol Police Chief, as well as pay a $1,000 fine. Court records show that Bowman paid the fine on Jan. 10. Bowman “complied with the relevant terms of his deferred sentencing agreement,” noted the Ethics Committee in the statement released Thursday.
