Staff Reports
In an exciting turn of events, Representative Jamaal Bowman from New York is in hot water and set to face a censure vote on the House floor after a failed Democratic attempt to squash the motion. The motion to censure Bowman for his outrageous behavior was tabled 201-216, falling short of the 217-majority needed to shut it down. This defeat for the Democrats came after a strictly party-line vote, with only one Democrat voting present.
#BREAKING: Jamaal Bowman one step closer to becoming next House Democrat to be censuredhttps://t.co/ZVyFEft2n1
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 6, 2023
If the censure motion is successful, Bowman will have to stand before the full House chamber to receive a public reprimand from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is a Republican from Louisiana. This would make Bowman the third Democrat to be censured this year, following Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). It’s a real who’s who of reprimanded Democrats!
This vote comes hot on the heels of Rep. Lisa McClain, a Republican from Michigan, putting forth a censure resolution against Bowman for his unruly behavior. She claims that Bowman intentionally caused chaos by pulling a fire alarm in a congressional office building, disrupting the important work of Congress. The resolution states that his actions were a “theatrical attempt to cause panic, therefore endangering the safety and well-being of Members of the House, of staff, and members of the public on the Capitol grounds.” This is serious stuff!
Furthermore, Bowman was caught red-handed on surveillance camera pulling the fire alarm when the House was scheduled to meet for important votes. He tried to deny it, but eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to the false alarm. You’d think that would be enough, right? Wrong! He’s still facing the fury of the Republicans, who are not letting this slide.
During a fiery floor speech, Bowman tried to dismiss the censure resolution as a distraction from “governing the American people.” Wow, the nerve! He claims the Republicans are just wasting time and money, but they’re not letting him off the hook that easily.
Bowman may have struck a plea deal with the Department of Justice and avoided further consequences, but the Republicans are not backing down. They’ve called for further action, with one former New York Republican Rep. even drafting an expulsion resolution against Bowman. That’s right, they’re not messing around.
The nonpartisan Ethics Committee previously declined to open an investigation into Bowman’s unsavory behavior. But the Republicans are not satisfied and are continuing to push for consequences. It looks like Bowman’s days of causing chaos may be catching up with him!
