Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is facing a renewed ethics complaint after the New York Democrat came under tough criticism for pulling a fire alarm in one of the Capitol office buildings ahead of a vote on a critical spending bill last month.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust filed a complaint against Bowman on Thursday, requesting the Office of Congressional Ethics to open an investigation into whether the two-term incumbent violated House Ethics rules by disrupting official government proceedings. The complaint comes two weeks after Bowman was caught on camera pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon Office Building as lawmakers were being called to the House chamber for a vote, prompting some to accuse the Democrat of intentionally trying to stall legislative business.
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“There is no question that he intentionally set off the fire alarm, regardless of whether his motive for doing so was to delay a vote or to use a door that was not permitted,” the complaint states. “For either motive it was an intentional act that violated House Ethics Rules, and his clear disregard for federal law and ethics rules as shown above must be considered when assessing his actions here.”
Bowman denied that his actions intended to delay any proceedings, arguing he accidentally set off the fire alarm while rushing to vote on time. In his hurry, Bowman said he mistook the fire alarm for a button that would open the door, which was marked off as an emergency exit only at the time.
“As I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open,” Bowman said in a statement. “I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door.”
U.S. Capitol Police released its own findings of the matter, providing some credence to Bowman’s reasoning. After conducting an investigation, officials said security footage showed a man attempting to exit before pulling the alarm that prompted an evacuation of the office building.
However, USCP officers acknowledged the doors were blocked off with signage containing “clear language that explained the door was secured and marked as an emergency exit only.”
House Republicans published the legislative text of the continuing resolution less than an hour before lawmakers were scheduled to vote, prompting outcry from Democratic leaders who said they requested more time to read through the bill but were denied. As a result, Democrats sought to delay the vote through other means, such as voting individually by hand as well as a “magic minute” speech by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that lasted nearly one hour.
The fire evacuation occurred just moments before the House was set to convene to vote on a stopgap spending measure that would temporarily avoid a government shutdown just hours before the deadline, buying lawmakers an extra 45 days to pass the remainder of their annual spending bills.
“He simply cannot credibly claim he doesn’t know the difference between a fire alarm and an automatic door button, and it’s clear he did not pull the alarm for a legitimate reason,” the complaint states.
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The complaint is paired with another accusation against Bowman, which was previously filed by FACT in April of this year. That complaint accused the New York Democrat of using official resources for campaign purposes, specifically citing social media posts in which Bowman used video of House floor proceedings on his campaign account.
A spokesperson for Bowman has not yet responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner on the latest complaint.
