A House Ethics Committee investigation concluded that Rep. Jamaal Bowman's account of setting off the Capitol fire alarm in September was “misleading,” but did not pursue the matter further.
Bowman set off the fire alarm on September 30, just before the House passed a stopgap spending measure to avert a government shutdown. The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) announced that Bowman did not vote and was on his way to the meeting.When a fire alarm went off in the House Democratic caucus. report. (Related: New footage of wrench thrown to protect Democratic lawmaker who pulled Capitol fire alarm)
The committee said further investigation into Bowman's conduct was “moot” because the House had already passed a resolution of censure against Democrats in early December. concluded In a press release.
“OCE has determined that Congressman Bowman's public statements and explanations released by his staff are unreliable or misleading,” the report states.
Mr Bowman claimed he had set off the alarm in a hurry to get to the polls.
Jamal Bowman removes the sign from the door. (Screenshot/Twitter/KevinFreyTV)
“Today, as I was rushing to vote, I came to a door that is normally open to vote, but today it was not open,” Bowman said in a statement after the incident.
OCE outlined Bowman's actions and cited evidence from text messages from the time of the incident.
“Surveillance video obtained by OCE shows Rep. Bowman deliberately pulling the lever on the fire alarm without looking back to see if the alarm prompted the emergency door to open. ”, the report states.
“More importantly, the House of Representatives was in recess at the time this incident occurred.Contrary to an announcement from his office, Congressman Bowman was on his way to an emergency (Democratic) caucus meeting. , not to hold an impending vote,” the report added. “At approximately 11:58 a.m., Congressman Bowman received multiple messages from Chief of Staff Sarah Idris via the private messaging app Signal informing him of an emergency meeting. Ms. Idris informed Congressman Bowman that members have been directed to gather in Room HVC 215 in the Capitol. ”
Bowman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
