New York‘s former top COVID-19 adviser has admitted to participating in sex parties and attending a drug-fuelled dance party underneath a Wall Street bank during the height of the pandemic, while he urged residents to remain indoors.
Dr Jay Varma made the admissions in a video, which appears to be a compilation of several different recordings, posted online by conservative podcaster Steven Crowder.
Varma was heard saying he was high on MDMA at a party and was worried that “if anybody sees me they’re going to be pissed”.
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https://twitter.com/scrowder/status/1836737026281836727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In another snippet, Varma boasted about being “sneaky” while he was “running the entire COVID response for the city”.
“The only way I could do this job for the city was if I had some way to blow off steam every now and then,” he said in the video.
He was also recorded bragging about his COVID-19 vaccine mandate that prevented NBA player Kyrie Irving, who refused to take the vaccine, from playing for the Nets.
Varma has since acknowledged that he did not have the best judgement.
“In those private conversations that were secretly recorded, spliced, diced, and taken out of context, I referred to events that transpired four years ago,” he said a statement to CBS News.
“I served in City Hall between April 2020 – May 2021. During that time, I participated in two private gatherings.
“I take responsibility for not using the best judgment at the time.”
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Varma served as the senior adviser for public health and COVID-19 under New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for just over a year.
Despite his own transgressions, he said he stood by his policies to keep the city safe.
“Facing the greatest public health crisis in a century, our top priority was to save lives, and every decision made was based on the best available science to keep New Yorkers safe,” he continued in the statement to CBS.
“I stand by my efforts to get New Yorkers vaccinated against COVID-19, and I reject dangerous extremist efforts to undermine the public’s confidence in the need for and effectiveness of vaccines.”
New York City Council Member Robert Holden is now calling for an investigation into Varma, who he said on X has “betrayed the public trust”.
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