Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said during a recent interview on Fox Business that she thinks New York Attorney General Letitia James is "trying to burn down" the justice system, giving the charges against former President Donald Trump as an example of her actions. 

The subject came up when host Maria Bartiromo referenced a recent event where firefighters booed James and chanted for Trump.

Malliotakis called the firefighters "New York's bravest" for speaking their minds.

“They’re not afraid to speak their mind either, and look, Letitia James is trying to burn down our justice system, and the firefighters are calling her out on it,” Malliotakis said. “They see what she’s doing, the injustice she’s conducted against President Trump, and they don’t like it.”

The investigation

FDNY Chief of Department John Hodges is investigating the incident, and a memo asked for those responsible to come forward voluntarily.  FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh told Hodges it would be better if the firefighters came forward so “we don’t have to hunt them down,” according to a report from the New York Post.

Malliotakis said that the firefighters were only exercising their free speech rights, and that James should not have been asked to speak to them because she is a polarizing figure.

“These firefighters should not be reprimanded, they should not be retaliated against. They’re cheering for someone they like, President Trump, and they were booing somebody they didn’t like. I mean, deal with it,” she added.

The firefighters were likely reacting to actions by James to fine Trump $354 million plus interest for supposedly inflating his real estate values and using them to more and better credit, which has greatly upset his supporters.

James has also said she would take Trump to court to seize his assets if he doesn't pay the fines, even though the case is likely to be tied up for years in appeals.

Working class likes Trump

The verdict also inspired a brief boycott by truckers of routes into New York City, but that protest fizzled out after a week or two.

Trump has gotten more support from unions and working-class individuals, who have begun to see Democrats as allies of the rich and elite.

Traditionally, Democrats have been the ones who appealed to the working class.

Despite Trump being a billionaire, he has been able to appeal to working-class people and show that he gets their needs. While in office, Trump signed a middle class tax cut and brought more jobs back to America from overseas, among other initiatives.

Trump is set to be the presumptive presidential nominee for the GOP in 2024, facing incumbent President Joe Biden for a second term in office.

Currently, most polls have Trump a few points ahead of Biden, and most swing states have him ahead outside the margin of error.