New York City’s former senior public health advisor who guided the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, appointed by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, has admitted to attending sex parties and a dance while urging people to stay at home during quarantine following the release of secretly recorded footage in which he talked about the events.
The video of Dr. Jay Varma was publicized by conservative podcaster Steven Crowder, who posted the hidden camera video of Dr. Varma talking to a woman, who is off camera, discussing the parties.
Since the footage was posted, Dr. Varma has released a statement conceding he “participated in two private gatherings,” against his better judgement. He did not challenge the accuracy of any of the statements he is heard saying in the video.
However, Dr. Varma also asserted the footage had been “secretly recorded, spliced, diced, and taken out of context,” in order to incite skepticism of the public health system.
“In those private conversations that were secretly recorded, spliced, diced, and taken out of context, I referred to events that transpired four years ago. 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,” his statement read. “Unfortunately, I was targeted by an operative for an extremist right-wing organization determined to malign public health officials and take down the public health system in America. This individual has been highly discredited and he has been banned from numerous media outlets for his homophobic slurs and racist rants.”
Dr. Varma went on to assure the public of his and the NYC Department of Health’s commitment to stopping the spread of COVID, both during the pandemic and now, also emphasizing the importance and validity of the vaccine.
“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. 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,” his statement concluded.
