BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH

House Ethics Votes Against Probing Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s Fire Alarm Scandal

Despite Republican opponents’ claims, Bowman has previously stated that he did not intend to delay or sabotage a vote.

The House Ethics Committee announced on Wednesday afternoon that it will not investigate Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) after he pulled a fire alarm during the vote on a stopgap government funding bill. The D.C. Attorney General charged Bowman with a misdemeanor, and the congressman pleaded guilty last month, agreeing to the maximum fine of $1,000 and apology requirement to the Capitol Police. But the ethics committee, which has an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, voted against a subpanel to review the incident or file a report to the full House, according to a press release from Ethics Chair Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) and ranking member Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA). Bowman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Politico. Despite Republican opponents’ claims, he has previously stated that he did not intend to delay or sabotage the vote.