(WatchDogReport.org) – House lawmakers voted on December 7 to punish Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman for activating a fire alarm in a US Capitol office building when the chamber was in session. The Republican-led resolution passed with a final vote of 214-191, with only three Democratic votes. Most of the Democratic Party supported Bowman, as many of its leaders have claimed that the GOP’s effort to punish him lacked “integrity” and “credibility.”
With his punishment, Bowman becomes the third Democratic lawmaker to be admonished from Congress in 2023 through a censure process, which is the punishment less severe than formal expulsion. As he was defending himself during a floor debate, the progressive Congressman said that everyone in the House and every American voter knows that the Republican Party is unable to legislate and is “deeply unserious.” He also claimed that their censure resolution against him was another example of the GOP’s “inability” to govern and serve Americans.
Michigan Republican Representative Lisa McClain, who introduced the resolution against Bowman, defended it by claiming that the progressive lawmaker pulled the alarm in September deliberately. She said that Bowman wanted not only to “cause chaos” but also to stop Congress from “doing its business.”
In a separate statement, McClain explained that it was “reprehensible” that a congressman decided to take such a step to prevent House Republicans from voting to keep US citizens “receiving their paychecks.” She added that Bowman’s action sabotaged Republicans’ vote to keep the government operating.
In October, Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count for activating the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building. The progressive congressman agreed to serve three months of probation and pay a $1,000 fine. Under an agreement with prosecutors, the false fire alarm charge could be dismissed.
The alarm prompted an evacuation when the Congress was in session and its staffers were working. After Capitol police determined there wasn’t any threat, the building was reopened.
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