A federal judge scolded a lawyer for indicted ex-City Councilman Dan Halloran on Tuesday after the legal eagle claimed his client’s crimes were business as usual for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“Whether or not somebody else committed a crime in another election is irrelevant,” White Plains federal Judge Kenneth Karas told Vinoo Varghese during Halloran’s corruption trial. “This case does not involve Mr. Bloomberg or any other politician.”
Karas flipped out, telling Varghese “you are flirting with sitting down” as the lawyer questioned a federal agent and alleged the ex-mayor had given money under the table to county Republican leaders to successfully get the GOP line in the 2009.
He also claimed Bloomberg gave the brother of former Bronx Republican Committee Chairman Joseph “Jay” Savino a job after receiving Savino’s support.
The judge grew especially peeved when Varghese asked the undercover agent — who had posed as a power-hungry developer to get the goods on Halloran — if he knew whether Bloomberg was ever prosecuted.
Halloran is accused of pocketing $20,500 in cash bribes for masterminding cross-party negotiations for a failed $200,000 bid to get state Sen. Malcolm Smith — one of the state’s top Democrats — the Republican line in last year’s mayoral race.
Savino, who is set to testify Wednesday against Halloran, copped a plea last November to pocketing $15,000 in bribes through the plan.
A spokesman for Bloomberg did not immediately return messages.
Smith is set to go to trial in the bribery case in January.