FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been given a not-so-nice name after she said officials would try to identify firefighters that erupted in jeers on Thursday at New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously vowed to take down former President Donald Trump.
The Daily Mail reported Saturday that Kavanagh has been labeled a “fascist pit bull” for planning to go after the first responders.
The initial incident happened Thursday as James prepared to give a speech at a New York Fire Department promotion ceremony. When she took the stage, shouting was heard and the firefighters also chanted Donald Trump’s name, the outlet said.
Video footage shows James behind a podium telling those in attendance to “simmer down” before the chant “Trump, Trump, Trump!” begins.
Watch video:
The Mail article continued:
FDNY Chief of Department John Hodgens sent an email to department leaders warning of an impending investigation by the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS) into the booing 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.
Per the outlet, an FDNY firefighter criticized the chief’s response to the incident, saying, “It was a political stunt for the city to have the AG there. When it backfired, they sent their fascist pit bulls after guys for exercising their First Amendment rights,” adding that many in the crowd were off-duty and not wearing their uniforms at the time.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a Super Tuesday election night party on March 5, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Meanwhile, FDNY officials have since pushed back on reports that they were looking for those who booed James, Fox News reported Sunday.
FDNY spokesman Jim Long told the outlet, “Nobody is hunting anyone down. We’re looking into those who clearly broke department regulations. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s about professionalism at an official event held in a house of worship.”
It is important to note that James has been taunting Trump on X about the $354.8 million fine he was slapped with after she won against him in court recently, Breitbart News reported February 27.
However, “Trump is planning to appeal the judgment in the civil fraud case, which accused him of inflating his net worth to get favorable bank loans, which he paid back,” the outlet said.
