Jamaal Bowman escapes House Ethics Committee investigation for fire alarm incident

The House Ethics Committee will not take disciplinary action against Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), once again declining to open an inquiry into the New York Democrat after he falsely pulled a fire alarm in a congressional building last year.

The decision comes after the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended an investigation into allegations that Bowman “may have willfully or knowingly given a false alarm” to disrupt congressional proceedings. However, the committee voted to reject the request because Bowman was censured by the House late last year on similar charges, arguing that any further action would be moot.

House Ethics Jamaal Bowman by Cami Mondeaux on Scribd

“A majority of the House of Representatives voted to censure Representative Bowman for his conduct,” committee members wrote in a statement. “The censure resolution included language that Representative Bowman knowingly caused a false fire alarm, forced the evacuation of the Cannon House Office building, and disrupted the work of the House. 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.”

Bowman was censured on Nov. 9, 2023, after he was caught on surveillance camera in late September pulling a fire alarm while the House was scheduled to meet for votes on a measure to avoid a government shutdown. Bowman initially denied that the incident was intentional, but the New York Democrat later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to the false alarm.

Bowman entered into that plea deal with the Department of Justice by agreeing to pay a $1,000 fine, write an apology letter to the Capitol Police, and serve three months of probation. Bowman has since complied with these terms, according to the committee.

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However, Republicans repeatedly have called for Bowman to face further consequences, including a formal ethics investigation.

The committee voted on Nov. 22, 2023, that it would not move forward with an investigation, instead noting it would wait for any recommended action from the OCE. Four days after the House censured Bowman, the OCE sent a referral to the Ethics Committee to open an investigation, but lawmakers determined they would “not further review the matter.”

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