Mayor Eric Adams on Friday hailed the city’s new probation commissioner as “brilliant” even after she allegedly defied the NYPD’s top cop and also featured raunchy rapper Cardi B at an event for young girls.
Adams even shielded his controversial new commish, Juanita Holmes, from any questions from reporters at the City Hall press conference announcing her appointment.
Instead, Adams fawned over the former deputy NYPD chief, including for having Cardi B — the rapper behind the foul-mouthed, sexed-up “WAP” song and video — perform for young girls at a Girls Talk event at the Police Academy in Queens last month, even though the appearance reportedly disrupted an exam for hundreds of recruits booted from the auditorium.
“The only disappointing aspect of you having Cardi is I wasn’t invited,” Hizzoner said jokingly to Holmes.
“There are those who critique, ‘Why would you bring Cardi B, she was arrested,’ ” Adams said of the rapper, who was convicted in a violent strip-club brawl that forced her to do community service, which included the girls event.
“The same reason [Holmes] brought Cardi B is why people voted for me, because I was arrested,” said Adams, a former cop who was busted as a teen for criminal trespassing after allegedly getting stiffed by a prostitute for whom he ran errands.
“You don’t discard people,” Adams said — adding that Holmes bringing the rapper to the event “was a brilliant idea.
“She understands we don’t give up on people,” Adams said of Holmes.
Holmes’ boss at the time, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, was unaware of Cardi B’s invite — and was furious she hadn’t been consulted beforehand, sources told The Post. Sewell also was reportedly upset that Cardi B was chosen to talk to young girls, given the rapper’s criminal past and raunchy professional work.
Adams on Friday also rebuffed reporters asking him and Holmes about her scrapping the timed 1.5-mile run requirement for new NYPD recruits while she was head of training for the Police Department — and allegedly did an end-run around her then-boss in the meantime.
“She has a new job and a new role,” Adams said in deflecting reporters’ questions about Holmes’ lowering of standards. “She’s not going to be giving her advice on things that impact NYPD.
“She’s now commissioner at Probation.”
Adams denied Holmes went over anyone’s head — even though sources told The Post that Sewell and another higher-up were against it, so she went to the mayor for support.
“I’m not rewarding anyone that broke the chain of command. I’m not going to worry ’cause as chief and now as the commissioner, she respects the chain of command,” Adams said.
Since Sewell came into the NYPD as an outsider, she repeatedly butted heads with Holmes, who was the only internal candidate for the top cop spot under Adams’ new administration.
Just weeks into the police commissioner’s tenure, she bumped Holmes down from her role as chief of patrol to make room in the executive ranks for Chief Jeff Maddrey, who has since been elevated to chief of department.
As chief of training, Holmes continued to host her “Girl Talk” police mentorship program, which she created under her old post.
One of the last straws for Sewell was when Holmes went outside the chain of command again last week and defended getting rid of the running requirement in an exclusive interview with The Post.
It was unclear if Holmes’ new role would come with a pay bump.