Videos of secretly recorded conversations with New York City's former COVID czar reveal Dr. Jay Varma was attending sex parties and an underground dance club at the height of the pandemic, all while instructing New Yorkers to stay home and socially distant. These admissions have spurred calls from city council members for an investigation of the health official's action during the health crisis.
Snippets of those conversations with Varma were shared this week by conservative podcaster Steven Crowder. In the videos, Varma appears to disclose to a woman, not seen on camera, speaking about his brazen choices in the face of extreme safety messaging to the city.
Varma, who was a senior public health adviser under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, is heard on the video disclosing he attended a dance underneath a bank on Wall Street with several hundred people in attendance.
"We were all rolling, we were all taking molly [MDMA], and everybody's high. And I was happy because I hadn't done that in like a year and a half," Varma says, expressing relief no one appeared to recognize him. "If anybody sees me they're gonna be pissed."
The video, which is heavily edited and jumps around showing soundbites from what appear to be at least three different conversations with Varma, moves to a discussion of sex parties where the former health czar describes renting out a hotel room to host a gathering of eight or nine people. He said that party took place in August during the first summer of COVID.
Many New Yorkers may recognize Varma from his regular attendance in de Blasio's COVID briefings, where he delivered public health guidance and assisted the mayor in crafting public health policy.
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“I did all this deviant, like sexual stuff while I was like, you know, like on TV and stuff," Varma explained in another part of the video. "People were like, ‘Aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you embarrassed?’ and I was like, ‘No, actually, I’m like, I love being my authentic self."
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Varma released a statement on Thursday slamming the "targeted" recording operation by a "right-wing organization," while acknowledging the controversial actions he took at the time.
"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," Varma wrote.
"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.”
The revelations have prompted calls by current city lawmakers for formal investigations into Varma's admissions. Council Member Robert Holden, who represents parts of Queens, wrote to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and NYPD Interim Commission Thomas Donlin requesting they look into the matter.
"As the architect of critical COVID-19 policies, including shelter-in-place mandates, bans on large gatherings, and restrictions on indoor dining, Dr. Varma was responsible for enforcing the very rules he appears to have personally disregarded," Holden points out in his letter.
Varma's participation in activities in direct opposition to city rules and public health guidance recalls similar missteps by Boris Johnson, Holden points out, who was caught breaking his own COVID gathering rules.
When asked for comment, a statement from City Hall distanced itself from Varma, making note his tenure with the city ended in May 2021.
"Dr. Varma is not, nor has he ever been, a member of the current administration. The city’s health department went above and beyond to protect New Yorkers from COVID-19 and continues to protect and keep New Yorkers safe under Mayor Adams leadership," the spokesperson said.
NBC New York has reached out to de Blasio for a comment.
