It was not clear whether Comey — a former U.S. attorney in Manhattan — was aware of the board members' ties to Trump, or whether he decided those connections were not consequential given the group's stature with New York law enforcement. But the award and ceremony came as the FBI has been accused by partisans on both the left and right of injecting itself unnecessarily into the presidential race through Comey's statements and updates about the FBI's now-concluded review of Hillary Clinton's email practices.