Courting a prez pardon?

Issue at cop-bribe trial

President Trump’s pardon power was used to impeach a witness at the NYPD bribery trial Thursday.

The pardon issue came up when a defense lawyer asked the government’s key witness, Jona Rechnitz, about his “politically connected” father’s support of Trump — followed up by a question about whether Rechnitz was planning to seek such a reprieve from the commander in chief.

The comment caused an uproar, including objections from prosecutors, who called it “outrageously prejudicial” and demanded that it be stricken from the record.

But defense lawyer John Meringolo argued that it was a legitimate question because Rechnitz’s dad had attended a Trump fundraiser in 2016 — and was caught on wiretap telling his son they would “just go down to Washington” to fix Rechnitz’s legal woes.

“They have a relationship in real estate,” Meringolo told the judge about Rechnitz and Trump. “They have a long-standing relationship.”

Manhattan federal prosecutor Martin Bell argued that the conversation about going to Washington occurred before Trump was elected, and slammed questions identifying political affiliations as unfairly prejudicial.

But the judge declined to strike it, or Rechnitz’s “no” answer.

Rechnitz is the government’s star witness in a case alleging far-reaching bribery at the NYPD. He has testified that he teamed up with Borough Park police liaison Jeremy Reichberg to shower cops with lavish gifts in exchange for perks, including parking placards.

Meringolo represents Reichberg’s co-defendant, former NYPD Deputy Inspector James Grant, who stands accused of providing police escorts and helping the men secure gun permits in exchange for gifts.