De Blasio’s man in ‘blue’ is Sheldon Silver

Turns out Mayor de Blasio has shown his unwavering support for "the thin blue line" — just not the one most people are familiar with.

The embattled mayor uttered the colloquial term for police to heap support on the unlikeliest of public protectors: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

At a closed-door meeting of Silver's Democratic conference last year, the then-mayor-elect praised the speaker, who is currently under investigation by federal prosecutors, by using a phrase usually reserved for line-of-duty cops.

"I have very strong feelings about Speaker Silver," de Blasio told the assembled.

"In times when the ideas of our party, the ideas of the Democratic Party, the progressive ideals for what New York is historically known for, were under attack, Shelly stood firm and was often, in my view, the thin blue line that kept a rollback of our progressive ideals from happening."

Silver, long a symbol of Albany's dysfunction and questionable conduct, has come under investigation by Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara for alleged unreported outside income.

Silver, who has also come under fire for employing a chief counsel found guilty of sexual misconduct with an Assembly staffer and for secretly approving settlements with other employees who alleged they were victims of sexual harassment, has refused comment on the latest investigation.

De Blasio has had his own headaches. The latest are connected to his rift with rank-and-file officers for his perceived lack of support in the wake of the Eric Garner chokehold death, which led to a series of public demonstrations denouncing police.

Cops said they felt insulted that de Blasio didn't stand up for them and went so far as to relate how he told his mixed-race son, Dante, to be wary of police. That sentiment echoed after officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot dead in their patrol car last month.

A swarm of cops turned their backs on de Blasio at both cops' funerals, despite a directive from Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to show the mayor respect.

De Blasio, in the December speech, went on to praise other Assembly Democrats.

"Welcome to a new day," de Blasio said. "Imagine having someone in City Hall saying these are the voices of sanity as opposed to what they normally say. I am honored to be among people I agree with."

At least one Democratic operative was "sickened to hear all the over-the-top stuff de Blasio has to say about Silver.''

Despite talk of a "two-way street" between Democrats in Albany and New York City, de Blasio did little to advance their cause in the capitol.

Last year, the mayor threw his weight behind several candidates for state Senate, only to have them go down in defeat.

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