A firefighters union in New York City reportedly chastised some members after boos and chants of "Trump" broke at an event featuring New York State Attorney General Letitia James, with an investigation underway to find those who took part.
James and her office recently led the charge in investigating former President Donald Trump and his associates for allegedly overstating his net worth and the value of some of his assets over the course of years in order to secure more favorable business loans. As part of the civil fraud lawsuit that resulted from that investigation, the parties involved were found liable for a pattern of fraud in September by Judge Arthur Engoron. In February, Trump was ordered to pay roughly $355 million in damages, which comes to around $450 million after pre-judgment interest.
Trump himself claimed innocence in the trial, as he has done for all of the legal battles he is currently embroiled in, and accused prosecutors of attempting to harm his electoral chances in the 2024 presidential election. In response, some of his supporters have echoed his discontent in various ways.
During a promotion ceremony last week for the New York City Fire Department's (FDNY) new chaplain, Pamela Holmes, boos and chants of Trump's name broke out from department members when James, a friend of Holmes', made a speech. According to materials allegedly provided to the Viral News NYC account on X, formerly Twitter, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA), a major firefighter union in the city, chastised members for the chants, which they deemed inappropriate given the circumstances.
"Beginning today, deputy chiefs will visit each company in attendance to discuss the events and offer members the opportunity to come forward," one of the messages read. "Additionally, they may make members aware that the Department is in possession of video footage of the event."
The other alleged document shared by Viral News NYC laid out the union's explanations for taking actions following the ceremony. According to the documents, which have since been verified in a report from the New York Post, the chants and boos were deemed "grossly inappropriate," and the union stressed that "protesting, heckling, or booing anyone at a ceremony is simply unacceptable." Further along, the union said that members were entitled to their political beliefs, but such conduct was not appropriate toward James given that the ceremony was not a political event and that the attorney general was not giving a political speech.
The behavior, the document continued, reflected poorly on the union's members and strained its relationship with James's office, and may have lost them the right to use the same venue for ceremonies in the future.
"We want members to come forward," the document said in conclusion, directing leaders as to the next steps. "They will come to HQ to be educated why their behavior is unacceptable."
In a statement to Newsweek about the matter, a spokesperson for the FDNY confirmed the existence of the investigation and stressed strongly that it was a matter of professionalism and not politics.
"Nobody is hunting anyone down," the spokesperson said. "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."
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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