FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been branded a “fascist pitbull” after announcing plans to hunt down heckling rogue firefighters. New York Attorney General Letitia James while giving a speech earlier this week.
James was speaking at a New York Fire Department promotion ceremony on Thursday when the taunting began even before she took the stage.
The firefighters shouted Donald Trump’s. name as James called for calm among those gathered at the Brooklyn campus of the Christian Cultural Center.
But it looks like those behind the chants won’t get their way if Fire Department bosses have anything to do with it.
FDNY Department Chief John Hodgens sent an email to department leaders warning of an imminent investigation by the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS) into the boos and “Trump” chants directed at James.
The FDNY is investigating after New York Attorney General Letitia James was heckled by unruly firefighters who shouted Donald Trump’s name while she gave a speech Thursday.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been branded a “fascist pitbull” after announcing plans to hunt down rogue firefighters who heckled New York Attorney General Letitia James while she gave a speech earlier this week.
FDNY Department Chief John Hodgens sent an email to department leaders on Saturday warning of an imminent investigation by the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS) into boos and “Trump” chants directed at James .
Hodgens has urged those involved to come forward voluntarily to avoid being pursued by the department which is currently reviewing video footage of the entire ceremony.
“BITS is investigating this, so they will find out who the members are,” Hodges wrote to FDNY bosses on Saturday.
‘I recommend that you apply. The commissioner has told me that it will be better for them if they come forward and we will not have to chase them,” he urged.
‘The (deputy chiefs) will direct the company captain to make a list of those who report and send it directly to (FDNY operations). “I realize that members may not show up, but they should know that there is clear video of the entire incident and that BITS will contact them if they don’t,” he wrote.
The Uniformed Fire Officers Association also warned its members Saturday about the plan, noting that the department was “in possession of video footage of the event.”
“As part of this discussion, specific UFOA members may be asked questions about their actions or memories,” the message said.
James had been invited to speak at the event, which was held in honor of the Rev. Pamela Holmes, the department’s second chaplain and the first black woman to hold that title.
“Come on, we’re in God’s house… calm down… thanks for getting it out of your system,” James said, before beginning his speech.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh is the first woman to lead the New York City Fire Department in its history
James spoke weeks after he won a $355 million judgment against Trump for inflating the value of his properties. He was also banned from doing business in New York for three years.
The small but vocal section of the crowd ignored his calls to “calm down” and continued booing for another minute, then loudly chanted “Trump!” Triumph! Triumph! Triumph!’
In the end, the booers ran out of steam, until James improvised his speech while thanking the firefighters who tried to save his mother, who died of breast cancer.
“Pray for the firefighters who were with me when my mother was dying and worked with her for an hour in my house, not knowing who I was,” he said.
‘I thank the members of the FDNY who worked on his body and prayed for his body when he died. Some may even be here. Some might even be booing me. But I still pray for them.”
That comment unleashed another round of boos along with applause from more well-behaved sections of the audience.
An FDNY firefighter criticized the chief’s response as harsh.
‘It was a political stunt for the city to have the AG there. When it backfired, they sent their fascist pitbulls after guys for exercising their First Amendment rights,” he told the New York Post. “Most of them were off-duty and not wearing FDNY uniforms.”
The Uniformed Fire Officers Association issued a warning to its members about the investigation advising them to comply with FDNY regulations while also offering legal representation if necessary.
However, the FDNY has not given specific reasons for pursuing those involved nor has it identified possible violations.
In fact, legal experts, including constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz, have argued that firefighters have a constitutional right to express their opinions and should not be penalized for exercising their First Amendment rights.
“Firefighters have an absolute constitutional right to heckle the attorney general, and the government has no power to punish them for it,” Dershowitz told the Post. “So efforts to obtain the names of the hecklers are a government effort to curb free speech and are unconstitutional.”
Shortly after the ceremony, FDNY Chief Hodgens criticized the firefighters who interrupted James for causing a distraction at the event.
“The ceremony was about one thing: the achievements of the promoted members,” he said.
“The members whose behavior distracted from that celebration were a disgrace and were not worthy of the best fire department in the world.”
James’ office has declined to comment.
James spoke weeks after he won a $355 million judgment against Trump for inflating the value of his properties. He was also banned from doing business in New York for three years. Trump appears at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on Saturday.
Trump made a rare appearance at the trial on Oct. 3 and learned how much he would have to pay last month.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seen smiling in court during Trump’s trial in November 2023.
Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump and his sons Eric and Donald Jr for civil fraud in the case led by James.
It ruled that they conspired to inflate property values on the financial statements of banks and insurers, and altered Trump’s net worth to obtain tax and insurance benefits.
“From 2011 to 2021, Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization knowingly and intentionally created more than 200 false and misleading asset valuations in their annual financial statements to defraud financial institutions,” James’ office explained. in 2022.
Independent officials will monitor Trump’s businesses in New York to ensure no further violations of laws occur.
James speaks outside a Manhattan courtroom on the day the trial begins.
Trump appealed the ruling, but faces increasing interest of $1 million every nine days until he pays, and his assets could be seized if he doesn’t.
A Brooklyn firefighter told the New York Post that the boos were directly related to the lawsuit, which he said was a “witch hunt.”
“She has no problem bragging about condemning Trump, so that’s how hard-working, life-risking New Yorkers feel about her actions,” he said.
Trump’s election campaign responded that James was “a disgrace to the people of New York” and that’s why they booed her.
‘The FDNY rank and file know they have no better friend than President Trump. “The president feels honored and grateful for his overt support,” he said.
The ceremony honored 65 firefighters and civil support personnel who were promoted, and the Rev. Pamela Holmes, who was named chaplain.