Representative Bowman was faulted for the Capitol's false alarm, but spared investigation

The House Ethics Committee on Thursday dropped its investigation into Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York for setting off a House fire alarm, but issued a report finding his explanations “not credible and otherwise misleading.”

Mr. Bowman, a Democrat, has repeatedly said that he sounded the alarm last September because he was “rushing to get a vote” to avoid a government shutdown and “wrongly” thought this a closed door would open. The false alarm led to the evacuation of one of the House's main buildings.

But the 16 page report contained previously unreleased encrypted text messages between the congressman and his staff, showing that he was not actually on his way to vote at the time, but to an emergency meeting of the Democratic caucus.

And ethics investigators said the video showed Mr. Bowman “casually” walking away “without ever looking back to determine whether the alarm allowed the emergency doors to be opened.” He did not warn anyone about the false alarm, despite passing several police officers.

“In addition to making statements that were deemed not credible by the OCE, Mr. Bowman failed to take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of unnecessary harm,” the investigators wrote, citing the Office of Congressional Ethics, which produced the report for the committee.

The sharply worded findings provided the most complete public account yet of an embarrassing episode that has dogged Mr. Bowman for months as he seeks re-election. But the report was unlikely to pose any new legal jeopardy or danger to Congress.

Investigators found no evidence that Mr. Bowman deliberately sounded the alarm to obstruct or delay the vote in the House of Representatives, as Republicans widely alleged.

The bipartisan Ethics Commission — which works with the agency and has the power to recommend specific sanctions against lawmakers — said there was no reason to continue the investigation.

Bowman, 47, pleaded guilty in October to a charge of “intentionally or knowingly” setting off a false fire alarm in the District of Columbia, paying a $1,000 fine and issuing a formal apology to the Capitol Police. When these conditions were met, the lawsuit was dismissed on Thursday.

The Republican-led House also voted to censure him in December over the episode, mostly along partisan lines.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Bowman welcomed the Ethics Commission's decision not to investigate the matter further, saying he looked forward to returning to work “no matter how much MAGA Republicans on the outside want to use this as a distraction. ”

The developments came just a day after Mr. Bowman formally launched his re-election campaign in a district that includes parts of the Bronx and Westchester.

The Democratic primary is expected to revolve largely around Mr. Bowman's views on Israel's war with Hamas. One of the most outspoken progressives in the House of Representatives, he has alienated some in his party by pushing for a ceasefire, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and imposing conditions on the US military aid to Israel.

His opponent, George Latimer, has more forcefully defended Israel's actions and is expected to benefit from millions of dollars in spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. But Mr. Latimer, the Westchester County executive, has also tried to build a broader case that Mr. Bowman is too much of a distraction for the county, citing the fire alarm as an example.

Mr. Latimer did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

At Bowman's launch event on Wednesday in Yonkers, his allies portrayed his campaign as a crucible for the progressive movement that is trying to shift Democrats to the left.

“When you stand up to power, power fights back,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow New Yorker, referring to more moderate forces. “That's what this race is about. They are trying to make an example of Jamaal Bowman.”

Mr. Bowman cooperated fully with the investigation, the Office of Congressional Ethics said. In an interview released by the grouphe said he had believed that pulling the fire alarm would only cause an alarm at the specific exit he hoped to use in the Cannon House Office Building.

“The door opened, it would have been a noise, a short noise or a small noise, not a trigger of the entire building,” he said.

According to the transcript, Mr. Bowman repeatedly said he could not remember what his specific thoughts were. He agreed that he should have informed officers of the false alarm, but said he was overwhelmed by the looming government shutdown.

“It was determination and it was hectic and it was rushed and it was embarrassing,” he said.