#De Blasio backtracks, claiming he ‘never blamed’ crime wave on closed courts

Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed Tuesday that he’s “never blamed” coronavirus-shuttered courts for the city’s violent crime spree — despite having done just that no less than three times over the past month.

The mayor was grilled about NYPD data in a Post exclusive last week proving the court shutdown wasn’t a driving force behind the spike in crime.

“I never blamed them,” Hizzoner told reporters at his daily press briefing, referring to the courts that have been operating at limited capacity during the coronavirus pandemic.

The denial comes after both he and police brass have repeatedly pegged the crime wave to the closed criminal justice system.

De Blasio turned to the excuse on July 20 when he said, “An important piece of this equation is the criminal justice system is not functioning the way it normally does. That is just a factual statement.”

“If anyone wants to contest that, come on down,” he added.

During a July 17 briefing, he begged the Office of Court Administration to fully open the courts — comments that sparked an immediate rebuke from Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.

On July 6, de Blasio again linked the closed courts to the crime explosion following a violent July 4th weekend.

“The court system’s not working, the economy’s not working, people have been pent up for months and months — so many issues underlying this challenge,” he said.

Still, de Blasio — who was recently questioned about his grasp on reality — remained in denial on Tuesday.

“I want to be clear, I said perfect storm more times than I can count,” he said. “You cannot take away all the underpinnings of normal life and expect the same outcome.”

He continued, “If the court system didn’t matter, why do we have one? It’s not about blame. Everyone is trying their best to overcome this and come back.”

The mayor said the city can combat the crime wave by “deepening” NYPD strategies, working more closely with communities and increasing gun arrests.