As an investigation continues to determine why Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York pulled a fire alarm in a House office building in Washington during a vote to fund the government, some are calling to punish the lawmaker.
Rep. Bowman has insisted that it was an accident that occurred as he rushed to the floor to participate in the vote, he said.
That didn't stop Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York from introducing a resolution as the week began to try to expel Bowman.
Malliotakis told the Hill, "We’ve dropped the resolution with twelve cosponsors, and we will continue to add more throughout the day. Mr. Bowman’s juvenile actions violated both federal and local law and he must be held accountable."
Bowman and his staff have been doing damage control this week, but not without another apparent gaffe when his office sent out a memo of talking points referring to GOP lawmakers as "Nazi members."
Bowman had to later condemn the use of the word, saying he wasn't aware of the messaging guidance before it was sent out.
"There was inappropriate use of the term Nazi without my consent," Bowman said in a post on X.
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"I condemn the use of the term Nazi out of its precise definition. It is important to specify the term Nazi to refer to members of the Nazi party and neo-Nazis," Bowman wrote.
Another lawmaker, Republican Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan, has sent out a censure resolution trying to strip Rep. Bowman of his committee assignments and has called for an investigation to be carried out by the House Ethics Committee, Axios reported.
On Saturday, Bowman acknowledged that he pulled a fire alarm as he rushed to a last-minute vote on a stopgap measure pushed out by now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that day.
Rep. Bowman has always insisted that the path he took to the floor was a "dumb choice," and said he takes "full responsibility" for what he has insisted was just an accident.
Bowman has been accused of trying to delay the vote.
"I wasn’t trying to prevent a vote or shut down the government or do anything,” Rep. Bowman insisted.
U.S. Capitol Police said on Monday that the law enforcement body would continue to investigate the incident.
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