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House Votes To Censure Bowman Over Fire Alarm Incident

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House Votes To Censure Bowman Over Fire Alarm Incident
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The GOP-led House voted on Thursday to censure Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for pulling a fire alarm in a congressional office building in September when there was not an emergency.

Three Democrats joined with the majority of Republicans to approve the resolution, making for a final tally of 214-191. Five other members, including one Republican, voted ā€œpresent,ā€ while 23 lawmakers did not vote.

ā€œWe are a nation of laws, and when someone breaks those laws, they deserve to be held accountable. Today, the House censured Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who pulled a fire alarm to obstruct the work of Congress,ā€ Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), who introduced the censure resolution, said in a post to X. ā€œActions have consequences, and no one is above the law.ā€

Despite the outcome, Bowman appeared to be in good spirits, smiling and hugging fellow Democrats who gathered around him on the House floor.

Bowman, a former middle school principal and member of the leftist ā€œSquad,ā€ faced controversy after pulling a fire alarm that resulted in a temporary evacuation of the Cannon House Office Building in late September ahead of a government spending vote.

A criminal probe ensued, and Bowman eventually took a plea deal on a misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm. Bowman apologized for his actions but denied that he pulled the fire alarm as a delay tactic, as some have alleged. The House Ethics Committee later declined to investigate Bowman over the incident.

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ā€œUnfortunately, Republicans are here trying to rehash an already litigated matter, a matter in which the Republican-controlled House committee of ethics decided to not proceed with any further investigation,ā€ Bowman said during debate on the censure resolution after a motion to table the measure from the Democrats failed on Wednesday. ā€œThis is an insult to the people I was elected to represent,ā€ he added.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Bowman has already faced accountability and argued that the House GOP’s latest censure effort was ā€œworthless.ā€

The trio of Democrats who voted in favor of censuring Bowman — Reps. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and Marie Gluesenkamp (D-WA) — all reportedly come from swing districts.

ā€œAt the end of the day, Representative Bowman broke the law … the resolution was a straightforward condemnation of his actions, and I voted yes,ā€ Pappas said in a statement given to Axios.

A Punchbowl News reporter said Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), the sole Republican to vote ā€œpresent,ā€ explained his stance as, ā€œWe should have had an Ethics Committee investigation into this just like we did on someone who wasn’t actually convicted of a criminal offense.ā€

Bowman is now the 27th member of the HouseĀ to be censured, which is essentially a formal rebuke and a less severe form of punishment than expulsion. Other House members who have been censured this year include Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) movedĀ to force a House vote to expel Bowman last week, but the embattled New York Republican got expelled the next day. His expulsion followed the release of a scathing House Ethics Committee report. Santos also faces 23 federal charges — including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy — to which he has pleaded not guilty.

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