The House Ethics Committee will not investigate Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) for pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol building ahead of a high-stakes vote to avert a government shutdown, the committee said Wednesday, weeks after Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the incident.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) speaks outside the Capitol at a rally calling for a a cease-fire in the ... [+]
The committee voted against establishing an investigative subcommittee to probe Bowman’s conduct, Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) said in a statement.
The committee has 30 days after a House member is charged with a crime to make a decision whether to open an investigation or issue a report on the incident to the House.
Bowman pleaded guilty last month in D.C. Superior Court to a misdemeanor false fire alarm charge as part of a deal with prosecutors that allows the charge to be dismissed within three months if he pays a $1,000 fine and writes an apology to Capitol police.
Bowman initially claimed that he pulled the alarm at the Cannon House Office building, triggering an evacuation, in a haste to get to the House chambers to vote on legislation to avert a government shutdown, hours before it was set to take effect at midnight on Oct. 1. Bowman was seen on surveillance video trying multiple doors, before removing warning signage above the door and pulling the fire alarm to exit the building, according to charging documents and publicly released security footage of the incident.
House Republicans are pursuing several other avenues to punish Bowman. The House Administration Committee is also investigating his conduct. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) introduced a resolution to expel Bowman from Congress, and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) sponsored a measure to censure Bowman and remove him from his committee assignments.