Rep. Bowman under investigation for pulling fire alarm as McCarthy compares it to Jan. 6

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called for Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., to be punished after he pulled a fire alarm in a Capitol office building Saturday, comparing the incident to the Jan. 6 riot at the building.

McCarthy, R-Calif., cited "how other people were treated when they come in and wanted to change the course of what was happening in the building."

He said the Ethics Committee should take the pulled fire alarm "seriously."

"This should not go without punishment," McCarthy said. “I’m going to have a discussion with the Democratic leader about it. But this should not go without punishment. This is an embarrassment.”

Bowman said later in a statement that the action was unintentional.

"Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open," he said Saturday night. "I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused.

"But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open," he added.

A screen grab of security video was distributed to officers so they could find the person who pulled the alarm, a person familiar with the matter said.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he has not yet seen the video.

“Until I see the video, I have no further comment," he said when he was asked.

U.S. Capitol Police are investigating, according to a statement that did not mention Bowman by name, and the House Administration Committee is conducting a probe, as well.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSMore oil is getting out of the Middle East. Why is it still so expensive?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe complicated bargain between ‘looksmaxxing’ influencer Clavicular and the women in his orbit

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenators unveil bipartisan bill to deliver essential newborn supply kits to new moms

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSMore oil is getting out of the Middle East. Why is it still so expensive?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe complicated bargain between ‘looksmaxxing’ influencer Clavicular and the women in his orbit

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenators unveil bipartisan bill to deliver essential newborn supply kits to new moms

"Rep. Jamal Bowman pulled a fire alarm in Cannon this morning," an account controlled by the Republicans on the committee wrote on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, in a post that spelled Bowman's first name incorrectly. "An investigation into why it was pulled is underway."

Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., signed the post.

Fellow Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, a Republican, said on X that she will introduce a resolution to expel Bowman from the House over the incident. "This is the United States Congress, not a New York City high school. This action warrants expulsion & I’m introducing a resolution to do just that," she wrote.

The alarm sounded in the Cannon office building, which is connected to the Capitol by an underground tunnel, as the Republicans were trying to begin a vote on a 45-day spending measure to keep the government open.

"Today at 12:05 p.m., a fire alarm was activated on the 2nd floor of the Cannon House Office Building," a Capitol Police spokesperson said in the statement. "The building was evacuated while USCP officers checked the building. The building was reopened after it was determined that there was not a threat. An investigation into what happened and why continues."

Democrats appeared to try to delay starting the vote, which they had been given very little notice about. Many complained that Republicans were trying to vote before Democrats had time to read the bill.

Jeffries delivered a 52-minute speech in what was seen as an effort to give his fellow members and their staffs time to figure out whether his party would support the bill.

Ultimately, the vote began 2½ hours after it was scheduled to start. And Democrats overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill.