Sydney Kashiwagi
Staten Island Advance
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Embattled Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot issued an apology to members of the NYPD after she reportedly blew off a request from NYPD top brass for 500,000 surgical masks, saying she didn’t “give two rats’ asses about your cops.”
“The members of the NYPD fight valiantly every day to keep New Yorkers safe. In mid-March, I was asked to provide the NYPD with a half million N-95 masks, while masks and other PPE were in terribly short supply,” Barbot said in a statement Monday. “I wished we had sufficient numbers to meet their full request and were ultimately able to partially fulfill what was sought.”
“This regrettably led to an argument in which words were exchanged between a police official and myself,” she continued. “I apologized to that police official then and today, I apologize to the NYPD for leaving any impression whatsoever that I don’t have utmost respect for our police department, which plays a critical role on the frontlines each and every day to keep our city safe.”
Last week, the New York Post reported Barbot told NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan she didn’t “give two rats’ asses about your cops,” when he had asked for more protective face masks for cops.
De Blasio had refused to take any action or call for Barbot’s resignation before speaking to her and Monahan first about the heated exchange. He said he spoke to Monahan last week and would talk to Barbot about the exchange over the weekend.
Ahead of Barbot’s apology, de Blasio said Friday he had not spoken to the health commissioner for two days.
He said Thursday he did not know about the exchange between Barbot and Monahan but if the commissioner really said those remarks, she would need to apologize to the NYPD right away.
Sources told the New York Post that Barbot made those remarks during a phone conversation in late March with Monahan.
Monahan had reportedly asked Barbot for 500,000 masks but she said she could only provide 50,000, the sources told the Post.
“I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops,” Barbot reportedly said, according to Post sources. “I need them for others.”
The call took place as a number of cops were calling out sick with symptoms of the coronavirus.
After Barbot rebuffed NYPD officials, they reportedly learned that the city’s Department of Health had a large stash of masks, ventilators and other equipment.
The Post reported that the NYPD appealed to City Hall, which then arranged for the NYPD to get 250,000 surgical masks.
Monahan later reportedly complained to de Blasio in front of Barbot about the NYPD’s need for personal protective equipment, saying, “For weeks, we haven’t gotten an answer.”
De Blasio reportedly then told Barbot to “fix this right now” when Monahan said the gear was vital to keeping cops safe.