DOI Pick Says She'd 'Hang Up The Phone' If Asked To Halt A Probe

NEW YORK CITY HALL — The prosecutor picked to be New York City's next investigation commissioner said Monday that she would not bow to City Hall's desires if confirmed. Appearing before a panel of City Council members, Margaret Garnett said she would "hang up the phone" if she was asked to halt a probe as the head of the Department of Investigation.

While it's important to listen to people who know how city government works, she said, the final say must lie with the commissioner.

"What’s vitally important for DOI’s work and its ability to do that work is that the ultimate decision be driven by the independent professional judgment of the DOI commissioner," Garnett said.

The City Council must approve Garnett's appointment to the helm of the city's independent watchdog agency.

Her testimony before lawmakers came less than two weeks after de Blasio nominated her and fired former commissioner Mark Peters. The mayor cited a report that found Peters had abused his authority in taking a Department of Education watchdog under his purview and firing a staffer who objected.

A week ago, Peters responded with a letter accusing de Blasio and city officials of trying to "punish and intimidate" his department and suppress critical reports. He cited a "late night screaming call" from the mayor and a meeting where a senior NYPD official "conspicuously displayed his gun."

The mayor rejected Peters's characterization of his interactions with his administration. But Garnett suggested she would stand firm in the face of any such tactics if they were used. She said she would reject a request to change a report and pledged to continue any "meritorious" investigations that are already underway.

Garnett also said she was not asked to provide information about ongoing probes. "If they had I would have withdrawn my name," she said.

Garnett has a long career as a federal and state prosecutor. She is currently the state's executive deputy attorney general for criminal justice and previously oversaw criminal appeals in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office.

Garnett said a colleague gave her information to the mayor's office to consider for the DOI job. She knows only one member of the administration — Elizabeth Glazer, the director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice — and has had only three interactions with the mayor himself, she said: A half-hour phone conversation, a two-hour interview at Gracie Mansion and a chance encounter on the street on Saturday.

Garnett's testimony came hours after BuzzFeed News reported that Peters junked an NYPD inspector general report detailing how cops avoided punishment after they were accused of lying. Peters's letter did not mention that report as one City Hall tried to quash.

In addition to touting her independence, Garnett criticized Peters, calling the findings of the report that led to his ouster "very troubling."

"I think the conclusions of the report provide a basis for termination," she said. "If I engaged in that conduct I would expect to be terminated."

(Lead image: Margaret Garnett, Mayor Bill de Blasio's pick to be the next investigation commissioner, appears before City Council lawmakers on Monday. Photo by John McCarten/New York City Council)