‘Squad’ Dem making ‘ludicrous’ excuse for pulling fire alarm: Nicole Malliotakis
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., on her plan to introduce a resolution to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman for pulling a fire alarm in House building
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., will face an expulsion resolution after a video surfaced showing him pulling a fire alarm as the House prepared to vote on a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
Bowman was seen pulling the fire alarm over the weekend ahead of a crucial House vote in one of the House of Representatives’ three office buildings. It happened just after Republicans announced they would rush a stopgap spending bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) to the House floor on Saturday, just as the Senate was weighing its own proposal.
Since the incident, Bowman has been accused of pulling the alarm purposefully to delay the vote, although he has adamantly denied these claims.
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Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said on "FOX & Friends" that she will unveil a resolution to expel Bowman as a result.
"This is the United States Congress. It's not a New York City public high school," Malliotakis told host Ainsley Earhardt Monday.
"And of all people, Jamaal Bowman knows the old fire alarm trick because he was a high school principal. And quite frankly, when he was the high school principal, there were serious ramifications if a student were to do that... including expulsion."
"I would say that it is an appropriate next step to make sure that he is held accountable, that there are consequences for his actions," she continued. "And look, Democrats that entire afternoon were trying delay tactics. First, they tried to do a motion to adjourn. Then they tried to speak on the floor. Hakeem Jeffries gave a very long speech to try to further delay the vote, and then you saw the fire alarm pulled. So… it's these types of antics that the Democrats are resorting to try to disrupt proceedings."
Bowman claims he pulled the fire alarm thinking that it would open a door he was trying to exit through.
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"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. 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," read a statement from Bowman.
He also claimed he was not trying to delay a vote, but Malliotakis and other critics have pushed back on his claims.
"It's very clear it was a fire alarm," Malliotakis said. "If you wanted to push the door open like he claims, perhaps an alarm would have gone off, but that's not what he did. And also, there's access to the Capitol through many different ways. It's not just through the doors."
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman speaks at Grammys On The Hill: Advocacy Day on April 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) ((Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for The Recording Academy))
"There's a tunnel that connects the Cannon Building to the Capitol, so nobody buys this argument that he did it because he was trying to get out of the building to go vote," she continued. "That's just ludicrous."
The House passed the short-term spending bill to fund the government for another 45 days Saturday afternoon. The bill, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), passed the House 335 to 91, and caused lawmakers to break out into applause amid the pressure of a shutdown.
The Senate then approved the measure to ultimately avert a government shutdown with just three hours to spare in a Saturday night vote. The final vote was 88-9.
"What kind of message does it send to our young people that they can pull a fire alarm and there's zero consequences?" Malliotakis asked. "It's not just the act of pulling a fire alarm, which is a violation of D.C. code. But in addition to that, it was during an official proceeding."
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"That is the same thing that they've gone after… those individuals who walked into the Capitol on January 6," she continued. "You have to have an equal distribution of justice."
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy echoed Malliotakis' sentiment during his appearance on "FOX & Friends."
"What's really interesting, this is a former principal. He knows what a fire alarm is. This is a man that has gone out and yelled at members and his behavior, it has been unbecoming," he said. "But what's interesting, if it really was just an accident when the Capitol Police came to interview you, why would you lawyer up right away? Why wouldn't you say, ‘Oh, my gosh, I made a mistake here?’ Why would you let it go on?"
Earhardt pressed him on whether he thought the incident was intentional.
"If you know this individual, everybody knows," he responded.
FOX News' Chad Pergram, Andrea Vacchiano, Elizabeth Elkind and Houston Keene contributed to this report.
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