FDNY commissioner lamented in text that she 'can't fix' firefighters who booed AG

By 
 July 4, 2024

A group of firefighters made headlines in March when they booed New York Attorney General Letitia James and chanted former President Donald Trump's name at a promotion ceremony.

That led FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh to lash out at those who work under her in a series of text messages. 

Commissioner laments that she "can't fix" firefighters

According to the New York Post, those messages were obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request sent to the attorney general's office.

"I should have called you last night, but I've been trying to find a way to say I'm sorry that doesn't involve me apologizing for men who don't deserve such grace," Kavanagh wrote on March 8.

"I haven't succeeded," the commissioner went on to lament in her apology text. "I am sorry that we didn't stop them and that I can't fix them."

Kavanagh went on to praise James for teaching her that "bullying, threats and lots of booing with grace would be part of the gig if you ever wanted to make big change."

"So thank you for that," the city official declared before adding, "I care about you and will do anything for you, always."

FDNY spokesman: Texts reflect "deep disappointment and frustration"

For her part, James responded with a text of her own that read, "The guys who were there are new to the dept and don’t know my history as it relates to fdny."

"We have work to do and I am willing to put in the time," the attorney general continued before claiming that "this is my first time that I have been booed."

James further maintained that she is "so sorry [the] episode took away from people being promoted and their families."

FDNY spokesman Jim Long explained in a statement to the Post that said Kavanagh's texts "reflect her deep disappointment and frustration about the actions of a few bad actors, who may or may have not been active” FDNY employees."

Plan to identify and punish firefighters dropped

The Post noted that the booing of James came just weeks after her office managed to secure a $454 million civil fraud judgment against former President Trump.

Spectrum News reported on March 11 that the FDNY’s Bureau of Investigation and Trials had opened an investigation to identify and punish those firefighters who heckled James and chanted Trump's name.

However, Fox News revealed three days later that the FDNY had reversed course and announced that it would not continue with the investigation.

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