After promising to "hunt down" firefighters who booed New York Attorney General Letitia James at an awards ceremony on March 8, FDNY leadership is now saying it was all a big mistake, and there was never any investigation at all.

The story starts when NY Attorney General and Donald Trump nemesis Letitia James made a cameo appearance at an FDNY awards ceremony. The boos quickly metamorphosized into a chant of "Trump! Trump! Trump!"

BACKGROUND: WATCH: FDNY Let Letitia James Know in a Big Way the Lawfare Against Trump Isn't Going Over Well 

While it was great theater, the politically charged FDNY headquarters was not amused by the happenings. The day after the ceremony, the headquarters directed battalion chiefs to visit every firehouse that had firefighters in attendance and provided them with a list of hectoring talking points for use during meetings. It ends with:

They should understand that BITS [Bureau of Investigation and Trials] is gathering video and identifying members that brough discredit and to the Department.

We want the members to come forward. They will come to HQ to be educated why their behavior is unaccepatable.

Chief of Department John Hodgens, who commands the firefighters and EMS personnel, sent a very direct email to his subordinate commanders.

Gents,

This is the talking points. Please have the DC's start the visits tomorrow on the 9X and continue to the 6X. I understand this is late notice so have the visits continue on Sunday if necessary.

BITS is investigating this so they will figure out who the members are. I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the Commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward and we don't have to hunt them down.

The DC's shall direct the Captain of the Company to make a list of those that come forward and send it directly to John and Kevin in Operations. I realize members might not come forward but they should know that there is clear video of the entire incident and they will be contacted by BITS if they don't.

Thank you

—Jack

It quickly became obvious that Chief Hodgens, in the vernacular of my people, was letting his alligator mouth write checks his canary ass couldn't cash.

In a op-ed that ran three days after the affront to Letitia James's awesomeness, president of FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association Andrew Ansbro apologized but also laid down a marker. He noted that heckling at ceremonies was not something new and the dais was croweded with FDNY leaders, any one of whom could've stepped in and shut down the antics.

I apologize to AG James for this unfortunate event, and I hope my apology will be accepted.

But we’re going to vigorously defend our members because in the end, what they did wasn’t new and if it was wrong, the people that should have stopped them failed to do so.

If the department wants to have a re-education class on how to behave in public, please reserve the best seats in the house for the chiefs, but disciplinary action is off the table.

As if to make his point, Democrat apparatchik and current Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh was booed by the crowd and taunted with calls of "You suck!" as she marched in the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

AFPI Demands New York End its Political Witch Hunt Against Brave FDNY Firefighters

Today, @A1Policy's Center for Litigation issued a demand letter to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, condemning the ongoing investigation targeting FDNY members who exercised their First Amendment… pic.twitter.com/syeLIdtt9B

— America First Policy Institute (@A1Policy) March 12, 2024

Then the whole thing was called off.

#update on the FDNY investigation that happened after FDNY members booed Attorney General Letitia James.
Aka, the investigation has been called off . pic.twitter.com/70qNbyOC2w

— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) March 14, 2024

Chief Hodgens engaged in some disreptuable doublespeak while trying to defuse the issue.

A top FDNY chief is taking the fall over a Post report exposing how Commissioner Laura Kavanagh planned to “hunt down” firefighters and other staffers who mercilessly booed New York Attorney General Letitia James during a department promotion ceremony.

In an email Tuesday to battalion chiefs, Chief of Department John Hodgens backed off his prior internal announcement, admitting his use of the term “hunt’” was “a poor choice of words.”

“It was not meant to be taken literally and was never uttered by anyone on the executive staff,” he wrote. “Specifically, there was not, and is not, an investigation into members booing.”

The use of the word "hunt" was secondary to the threat of disciplinary action. Firefighters are ordered to turn themselves in and, to quote a departmental communication, "they will come to HQ to be educated." Hodgens clearly states that FDNY's equivalent of a police internal affairs unit is investigating with the purpose of identifying FDNY members who booed James and participated in the "Trump!" chant. The only reason to involve the investigative unit was to fire or suspend firefighters.

What happened here is what usually happens when bullies encounter organized opposition. They fold. But they will hold a grudge. The FDNY men who are known to management for the Letitia James incident had better watch their step because political animals like Kavanaugh have long memories and no mercy.