BRATT BOOST ANOTHER ‘DeFLECTION’

Breaking news: Mayor de Blasio said something smart the other day. On second thought, never mind. It was self-interest masking as leadership.

The topic was whether Police Commissioner Bill Bratton should resign because of the corruption scandal involving top NYPD commanders. At a debate, leading Democratic candidates trying to succeed retiring Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel all said Bratton should quit.

The next day, de Blasio gave his answer: The candidates are “out of their mind,” he said, Bratton is staying.

It’s the right response — and serves de Blasio’s own interest. Already there are grumbles that the mayor should resign because of investigations into his fund- raising. By supporting Bratton, who hasn’t been implicated in wrongdoing, de Blasio also blunts premature calls for his own resignation.

But as with de Blasio’s other defenses, this one is subject to expiration.

With two rings of suspects in the sprawling probes arrested and charged, the mayor’s fate is the last loose thread.

If he’s charged, he’ll face enormous pressure to resign and would find it impossible to resist if evidence of his guilt appears compelling. With the possibility of charges considered high, some pols are preparing for a special election that would come within 60 days of a mayoral vacancy.

One weird irony is that, if de Blasio is charged, there will be some support for Bratton to succeed him. In that case, Bratton, whose crime-fighting success is a shield for de Blasio, could suddenly become a reason to push the mayor out the door.

That’s politics, brother.