Claiming key GOP campaign strategies could be “exposed” before this year’s gubernatorial and legislative races, a Queens Republican operative wants his federal corruption trial delayed until after November’s elections.

“The necessary witnesses to such a trial may include the Republican Party chairmen of the state and county Republican committees in New York,” Tabone’s lawyer, Deborah Misir, wrote Saturday in a letter to Karas. “Subjecting the Republican Party, its officials and internal political strategies to intense scrutiny, while sparing the Democratic Party, would unfairly undermine Republican Party candidates in the general election.

“Questioning of party official witnesses will directly impact federal and state elections being held in New York by selectively exposing Republican Party strategy, the negotiation of cross-party endorsements for Republican candidates,” she added. “In short, it could devolve into a political circus aimed at the Republican Party and its federal and state candidates.”

That would be Vincent Tabone, former Queens Republican vice chair, currently on trial for seeking $25,000 for a plot to allow a Democrat to run for mayor as a Republican. Because effing New York politics, that's why. He's still a true-blue Republican, though, as is evidenced by his argument that for him to face trial right now would unfairly damage the party.Not just that, but putting him on trial for corruption would expose the party's plans for the upcoming election:Well hell, we'd better just let the guy off entirely. Heaven knows the damage that would be done to the nation by exposing how a low-level party official plans out his bribes.