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Bradley Jaye
Republicans have drafted a resolution to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) after he allegedly pulled a fire alarm to delay a vote on a bill to avert a government shutdown.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) authored the resolution, which is expected to be formally filed Monday when the House is next in session. Expulsion is the most serious form of disciplinary action available to the House for its own members.
Only five members have been expelled from the House in history.
Bowman’s alleged actions are being investigated by the House Administration Committee and the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and elicited widespread condemnation from his Republican colleagues.
Rep. Lisa McClain is drafting a motion to censure Bowman, a serious but less severe step than expulsion. She said Bowman’s alleged action “is a felony, plain and simple. USCP had to waste resources investigating rather than actually keeping the Capitol safe. The House must hold Rep. Bowman accountable.”
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters that the “Ethics (Committee) should look into this,” saying, he will “have a discussion with the Democratic Leader [Hakeem Jeffries] about it, but this should not go without punishment.
“This is an embarrassment. You’re elected to be a member of Congress.”
Bowman reportedly said he “thought the alarm would open the door” and that Jeffries understood it was a misunderstanding.
Follow Bradley Jaye on Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
