Bowman said he thought pulling the fire alarm would 'open the door'
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House Republicans reacted to Rep. Jamaal Bowman's (D-NY) fire alarm-pulling incident on Saturday, with one even calling to expel the New York Democrat from Congress.
Bowman pulled a fire alarm on Saturday as Republicans began voting on the stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown. The "Squad" member claimed he thought it would open the door rather than set off the fire alarm.
"I was just trying to get to my vote," Bowman explained to reporters. "The door that's usually open wasn't open. And you know, I didn't mean to cause confusion… I didn't know I was going to trip the whole building. I thought it would help me open the door."
The U.S. Capitol Police and the House Administration Committee are both investigating the incident. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) argued that the alarm-pulling fiasco was "serious" and warrants further inquiry.
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Bowman appeared to pull the alarm on Saturday as Republicans began voting on the stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown. (U.S. Capitol Police)
"I'm going to have a discussion with the Democratic leader about it, but this should not go without punishment. This is an embarrassment," McCarthy said.
Other House Republicans expressed similar sentiments: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) described the event as "potentially criminal" and "unbecoming" to Fox News, suggesting that Bowman consider stepping down.
"That any member of Congress would think it's appropriate to pull a fire alarm to try and delay Congress from doing its business is shameful," Lawler said. "It's unbecoming. And he should strongly consider resigning from Congress if he did that."
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., arrives to the U.S. Capitol during the last votes of the week on Thursday, May 25, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) drafted a resolution to expel Bowman from Congress. She reportedly plans to formally introduce the bill on Monday.
When asked about the Republicans' accusations, Bowman described it as "total BS" to reporters. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told Fox News that he has "no further comment" on the incident until he sees a video of it.
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, center, returns to his office at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The U.S. Capitol Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is actively investigating the incident, but no additional details were available.
Fox News' Chad Pergram, Kelly Phares, Brooke Curto, Elizabeth Elkind, and Houston Keene contributed to this report.
