Weill Cornell Medicine is distancing itself from New York City’s former senior health advisor Jay Varma after the COVID czar was caught on tape discussing the “drug-fueled sex parties” he hosted while preaching COVID social-distancing practices.
The Daily Wire reviewed Varma’s public Cornell profiles on Monday, and discovered that the institution had scrubbed his name from the site. Archived webpages show that his biography page — which was online as recently as six days ago — as well as his contact information page, have both been removed.
In response to an inquiry on the website changes, Weill Cornell Medicine confirmed to The Daily Wire that Varma is no longer affiliated with the institution.
“Jay Varma was a full-time employee from September 2021 to August 2023 after which he continued as an unpaid advisor,” a Weill Cornell Medicine spokeswoman told The Daily Wire. “We were not aware of the alleged unethical behavior that occurred prior to his employment with us, and he is no longer affiliated with our organization.”
“As an institution that was on the frontlines during the pandemic, we firmly upheld all safety regulations to protect public health,” the spokeswoman added.
Varma’s sex parties were first revealed by conservative podcaster Steven Crowder, who released video last week showing Varma discussing how he violated city rules that he was publicly pushing by privately hosting orgies and dance parties with his wife. Crowder says an undercover operative recorded the videos between July 27 and August 14 in New York.
“I had to be kind of sneaky about it … because I was running the entire COVID response in the city,” Varma says in one of the clips.
“We went to some, like, underground dance party … underneath a bank on Wall Street … We were all rolling, we’re all taking molly [MDMA] and everybody’s high. And I was so happy because I hadn’t done that in like a year and a half,” he shares in another clip.
“But I was looking around being like, ‘F–k, I wonder if anybody sees me, they’re gonna be pissed.’ Because this was not COVID-friendly,” he adds.
Varma did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire. He has admitted that what he said in the recordings was true, and that he takes responsibility “for not using the best judgment at the time.”
The New York City Council Common-Sense Caucus has called on the City Council to hold a hearing addressing Varma’s “blatant hypocrisy” and “recklessness.”
“The public deserves answers,” the caucus said in a letter published Sept. 20.
The Common Sense Caucus is calling on the City Council to hold a special hearing on the recent damning admissions by former @BilldeBlasio COVID-19 Czar Dr. Jay Varma about the city’s COVID response. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/m9yd85pAYC
— NYC Council Common Sense Caucus (@NYCCCommonSense) September 20, 2024
