Seabrook witness hit over blackface getup

JURORS IN THE bribery trial of jails union boss Norman Seabrook got a jolt Thursday when it was revealed the government’s star witness once dressed up in blackface.

Witness Jona Rechnitz, 34, insisted he was not a racist after a lawyer for Seabrook, who is black, asked about a photo showing him in blackface wearing what appeared to be a pimp outfit.

Rechnitz — who last week testified about writing checks to Mayor de Blasio in return for “lots of access” to City Hall — claimed he wasn’t aware that blackface was offensive.

“What’s blackface?” he responded to questioning by lawyer Paul Shechtman. That prompted snickering from the jury box. Five of the jurors are black. Shechtman also produced the transcript of an email exchange in which Rechnitz used the Yiddish slur for a black person — “schvartze” — to describe someone.

“I didn’t realize it was offensive,” Rechnitz replied. “My apologies for that.”

Questioned by prosecutor Martin Bell, Rechnitz, who was educated at Yeshiva University, claimed he was not taught about black history in school. He stated that he had “only read one or two books” in his life.

“Mr. Rechnitz, do you consider yourself a racist?” Bell asked.

“Absolutely b l l not,” the h witness replied, l dd describing himself as a minority. Rechnitz is an Orthodox Jew.

Seabrook is on trial on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for hiring a financial adviser to handle the correction union’s pension fund investments.

Rechnitz raised $193,000 for de Blasio and was in constant communication with the mayor and his minions, giving advice and requesting favors.

The mayor has called him a “horrible human being” and a “liar,” but has said he can’t remember details of their many interactions.

Neither Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim nor Rechntiz’s lawyer, Alan Levine, would comment on the racial getup or email reference.