Rep. Jamaal Bowman pleaded guilty Thursday to one misdemeanor count tied to pulling a fire alarm in a congressional office building, despite there not being an emergency. 

The New York Democrat appeared in a D.C. courtroom Thursday morning. Under his agreement with prosecutors, the charge could be dismissed if Bowman stays out of trouble for the next three months, writes a letter of apology to the U.S. Capitol Police, and pays a $1,000 fine. 

What You Need To Know

  • Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor count tied to pulling a fire alarm in a congessional office building

  • Under his agreement with prosecutors, the charge could be dismissed if Bowman stays out of trouble for the next three months, writes a letter of apology to the U.S. Capitol Police, and pays a $1,000 fine

  • The incident happened on Sept. 30, as Congress was in the throes of trying to pass a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown

“I hate the confusion that it caused,” Bowman said before heading into the courthouse. “I really hate that Capitol Police and other resources had to be used to respond to this. So, I’m really apologetic about that.”

The incident happened on Sept. 30, as Congress was in the throes of trying to pass a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown. Bowman says he was rushing to the House floor. 

Surveillance video, obtained first by Spectrum News, shows Bowman pushed on a set of doors labeled emergency exits from inside the Cannon Office Building, before turning and pulling the alarm. 

Bowman eventually found another way out of the building, but investigators say while en route to the House floor, he passed several police officers without appearing to tell them what happened. 

“I was in a rush to get to a vote to avoid a government shutdown,” Bowman explained to reporters after his court appearance.

The alarm forced the evacuation of the office building for more than an hour - but not the House chamber itself. 

Bowman, who has labeled the incident a mistake, has previously said the door he went to is usually open for votes.

Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, blasted Bowman’s punishment as a slap on the wrist. She has already introduced a resolution to expel him from the House, accusing him of trying to delay a contentious vote - an accusation Bowman denies. 

“Frankly, if this was his school, he would have suspended or expelled the student. And so that is exactly the type of action that we as members of Congress should take,” Malliotakis said. Bowman previously served as a school principal. 

Another Republican lawmaker has proposed kicking him off committees and censuring him - a public condemnation that stops short of an expulsion. 

Asked Thursday if he believes what Bowman admitted to rises to the level of censure, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Not in my view.”