A defiant Mayor de Blasio on Thursday defended his phone call to the NYPD about an arrested pastor pal who was later freed — insisting his actions were “absolutely appropriate.”
De Blasio also said he might well do it again, saying such decisions would be “made on a case-by-case basis.”
“This is an unusual situation where a very prominent member of the clergy obviously was experiencing a very unusual situation,” de Blasio told reporters, who peppered him with questions about the scandal.
“So I thought it was appropriate to make an inquiry, and I got a response,” he added. “And that’s the end of the story.”
Bishop Orlando Findlayter, who was instrumental in getting out the black vote for de Blasio, was pulled over Monday night in East Flatbush for making a left turn without signaling.
The pastor had two open warrants and a suspended license — and was facing a night in jail at the 67th Precinct station house because the courts were about to close for the night.
De Blasio, told by a staffer that his pal was in custody, admittedly made a call to NYPD Deputy Chief Kim Royster, a top spokeswoman, to learn of Findlayter’s status.
Deputy Inspector Kenneth Lehr, commanding officer of the 67th Precinct, ordered that the pastor be sprung — in violation of NYPD protocol.
According to the current patrol guide, arrestees who have open federal, state or local warrants must remain in custody until they can be brought before a judge.
De Blasio on Thursday was impatient and dismissive.
“So I think it’s absolutely appropriate if I make an inquiry to make an inquiry and get information,” he said.
He insisted he never asked for special treatment for Findlayter.
“The precinct commander made a professional decision” based on the fact that the open warrants were only for a civil-disobedience arrest, the mayor said.
“By the time I even got an answer, the decision had been made. I thought the police commander handled it well.”
Findlayter is a pastor without a brick-and-mortar church because he failed to pay rent at his New Hope Christian Fellowship church in East Flatbush. But his support for de Blasio in June was a huge boost when the candidate was fourth in Democratic polls.
“The mayor involved himself in a police matter on behalf of a supporter and a friend,” the government-watchdog group Common Cause said in a statement.
“It is inappropriate for the mayor to exercise favoritism, regardless of the pastor’s prominence.