New York City lawmakers on Friday called for an investigation into former Mayor Bill de Blasio's Covid czar — after he was caught on hidden camera bragging about attending a drug-induced sex party with hundreds of people in the midst of the pandemic.
Dr. Jai Verma — who served as a Senior Health Advisor to de Blasio Conservative podcaster Steven Crowder's confession in a secretly recorded conversation with an undercover operative — during the pandemic “Mug Club.”
A letter sent to Speakers Adrienne Adams, Gale Brewer and Lynn Schulman urged Democratic council members to question Verma — who said the clip was “taken out of context” but did not explicitly deny there were parties — along with de Blasio and then-Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi.
“Given the profound impact the pandemic has had on our city, we are disgusted by the blatant hypocrisy and negligence of a public official entrusted with such great responsibility,” the letter states.
Council member Robert Holden (D-Queens) sent a letter to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York City interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon urging a thorough investigation into Verma's comments about a 200-person drug-induced sex party in the basement of a Wall Street bank during the summer of 2020.
“We saw accountability when Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government did something similar, and we need that same level of accountability here,” Holden told the Post.
Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) criticized Verma's video comments, saying her “expert opinion caused thousands of New Yorkers to suffer huge losses and businesses to go bust.”
“And all the while he was playing 'Who's in My Mouth' and tearing up lines like someone at the Fyre Festival. Dr. Verma should get a public spanking, although after a few blows he'll probably like it,” Borelli said.
Inna Varennikov (R-Brooklyn) questioned how Verma could hand over orders to New Yorkers, and called for immediate action.
He added, “It's time for the COVID Czar to face the consequences, just as any other New Yorker should if they committed fraud on this scale.”
Rep. Vicki Paladino (R-Queens) said she was “shocked and disappointed” by Verma's comments.
The edited clip of hidden camera footage, recorded in New York between July 27 and August 14, was released by Crowder on Thursday.
The Post has not reviewed the full, unedited recording.
Verma, who no longer works for City Hall, acknowledged to The Post that he “attended two private gatherings” between April 2020 and May 2021 — but described the chowder as “disreputable.”
“In private conversations that were secretly recorded, spliced, edited and taken out of context, I referred to events that occurred four years ago. Between April 2020 and May 2021, I attended two private gatherings. I take responsibility for not exercising the best judgment at the time,” he said in a statement.
The specific dates of both private ceremonies are still unclear and it is also unknown what violations, if any, Verma had committed at the time.
The Post reached out to the council, the city, the NYPD, and the DA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
