Tipsheet

McCarthy, GOP Calls for Jamaal Bowman's Arrest Over His Fire Alarm Stunt

Sarah Arnold
Sarah Arnold  |  October 01, 2023 12:30 PM

Republicans are demanding Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-N.Y.) arrest after his fire alarm stunt, which led to the Cannon Building on Capitol Hill evacuation. 

Despite Bowman’s office claiming it was an “accident,” House GOP members are accusing him of pulling the alarm to buy Democrats time while voting on a critical spending bill to keep the government from shutting down. 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called the incident “embarrassing,” comparing it to the January 6 fiasco that also caused the Capitol Hill building to be evacuated. 

“I was really appalled when watching Democrats’ actions today. To delay it, to get to a shutdown. But when we found that an individual elected to Congress would pull a fire alarm… that’s a new low,” McCarthy said. “We watched how people have been treated if they have done something wrong in this Capitol. It will be interesting to see how he is treated on what he was trying to obstruct when it came to the American public.” 

McCarthy called on Bowman to be punished, adding that he would discuss with the Democratic leader about it.

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Other Republicans joined McCarthy’s calls to have Bowman arrested, with Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) posting a photo of himself holding handcuffs, asking if the Democrat was “ready.” 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA.) also compared Bowman’s actions to defendants who stormed the Capitol on January 6.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) agreed with Greene, questioning why Bowman “can pull a fire alarm during a vote, which is clearly ‘interfering with a legislative proceeding,’ and there be no ramifications? Yet, protestors from across the country who came to Washington on January 6 are serving hard time in prison for doing less!”

Other Republicans, such as Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ.), condemned Bowman’s actions, calling him an “insurrectionist” who needs to be held responsible.