House Republicans seek to expel left-wing Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman for pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol office building as lawmakers considered an emergency spending bill to keep the government functioning for the next six weeks.
As the Tampa Free Press reported on Saturday, Bowman yanked the alarm as Democrats were working to sidetrack the spending bill.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was “appalled” by Bowman’s stunt, and believed they had reached a “new low” by attempting to “delay it to get to a shutdown.”
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The New York Democrat denied what appeared to be obvious after a video surfaced of him pulling the alarm.
“Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” Bowman said in a statement, according to Newsmax on Sunday.
“But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open.”
On Twitter on Saturday, New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said, “This is the United States Congress, not a New York City high school. This action warrants expulsion & I’m introducing a resolution to do just that.”
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Punchbowl News obtained a copy of the draft resolution expelling Bowman, and Breitbart reported on Sunday that Malliotakis is expected to file that resolution on Monday.
Only five members have been tossed out in the history of the House.
She was referring to Bowman’s previous career as a high school principal.
Tampa Free Press reported that the House Administration Committee and the U.S. Capitol Police are probing Bowman’s actions, which Republicans claim is illegal under federal and local laws.
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on X (formerly Twitter) that Bowman pulled the fire alarm and “interrupted the official proceedings of the House as Republicans worked to keep the government open.”
“I’m calling on the DOJ [Department of Justice] to prosecute him using the same law they used to prosecute J6 [Jan. 6, 2021] defendants for interfering with an official proceeding,” she added.
Falsely pulling a fire alarm is also a crime under Washington, D.C., laws.
Breitbart noted that other Republicans are considering less draconian measures.
Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan is drafting a motion to censure Bowman, a serious sanction that stops short of kicking him out.
Bowman’s alleged action “is a felony, plain and simple. USCP had to waste resources investigating rather than actually keeping the Capitol safe. The House must hold Rep. Bowman accountable,” McClain said.
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