City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot issued a public apology to police Monday for rejecting a plea by a top NYPD chief for protective masks at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and then saying, “I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops.”
“The members of the NYPD fight valiantly every day to keep New Yorkers safe,” Barbot said in the mea culpa released by a spokesman for the city Department of Health.
“In mid-March, I was asked to provide the NYPD with a half million N-95 masks, while masks and other PPE were in terribly short supply. I wished we had sufficient numbers to meet their full request and were ultimately able to partially fulfill what was sought.
“This regrettably led to an argument in which words were exchanged between a police official and myself. I apologized to that police official then and today, I apologize to the NYPD for leaving any impression whatsoever that I don’t have utmost respect for our police department, which plays a critical role on the frontlines each and every day to keep our city safe,” Barbot said in the statement.
The Post exclusively revealed the March 18 phone call between Barbot and NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan earlier this month.
Monahan had asked Barbot for 500,000 masks but she said she could only provide 50,000, according to sources.
“I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops,” Barbot said. “I need them for others.”
Police unions were not impressed by the apology.
“I question the sincerity of it,” said Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association.
“At the end of the day, we still had nearly 7,000 members sick, 41 members died and we still didn’t have equipment,” Mullins said.
Detectives’ Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said “Dr. Barbot’s apology comes only because her disgusting comments were brought to light for all New Yorkers to hear.”
“Her blatant disregard for the safety of our men and women in blue is shameful. These are life and death decisions being made on behalf of our cops. For a medical doctor and person in Dr. Barbot’s leadership position to show such disrespect for those who keep her safe is an absolute disgrace,” DiGiacomo said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed he first learned of the exchange from The Post’s article, even though he eventually intervened to get the protective gear to the NYPD before the “rats’ asses” call came to light.
“If what is being reported is accurate, the commissioner needs to apologize to the men and women of the NYPD, unquestionably,” de Blasio said last week during his daily coronavirus briefing.
“Dr. Barbot’s apology is appreciated,” de Blasio spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein told The Post Monday. “As the mayor said, he believed it was important to address the situation publicly.”
Barbot and de Blasio have had a toxic relationship throughout the city’s coronavirus response, butting heads on everything from closing schools to testing residents for the deadly bug.