WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for President Jamal Bowman, DNY, to be punished for sounding a fire alarm at a Capitol office building on Saturday, comparing it to rioters who stormed the building on Jan. 6.
“When you think about how other people were treated when they came in, you want to change the course of what’s going on in the building,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said the ethics committee should take the pulled fire alarm “seriously.”
“This should not go unpunished,” McCarthy said. “I’m going to discuss this with the Democratic leader. But this should not go unpunished. It’s a disgrace.”
Bowman’s office acknowledged he pulled the alarm, but suggested it was accidental.
“Congressman Bowman rushed to vote and did not realize he would set off a building alarm,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The congressman regrets any confusion.”
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DNY, said he had not yet seen the video of the fire alarm being pulled.
“Until I see the video, I have no other opinion,” he said when asked.
The House Administration Committee is already investigating.
“Rep. Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm on Cannon this morning,” wrote a Republican-controlled account on X, formerly known as Twitter, including misspelling the congressman’s first name. “An investigation is underway as to why it was pulled.”
The post was signed by Committee Chairman Brian Steele, R-Wis.
and fellow New York representative. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, said at X that she would introduce a resolution to expel Bowman from the House. “This is the United States Congress, not a New York City high school. This action warrants expulsion and I’m introducing a resolution to do just that,” he said. wrote.
The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A fire alarm sounded at the Canaan office building, which is connected to the Capitol via an underground tunnel, as Republicans tried to start a vote on a 45-day spending measure to keep the government open.
Democrats tried to delay the start of the vote. Many complained that Republicans were trying to vote on the bill before Democrats had time to read it.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the Democratic Party, delivered a 52-minute speech that was seen as an attempt to give his fellow members and staff time to determine whether his party would support the bill.
In the end, polling started two and a half hours after it was scheduled to start. And Democrats overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill.
