New York City has fired city hall staffer Chris Baugh after an undercover recording revealed Baugh criticizing mayor Eric Adams’ response to a recent influx of illegal migrants into the city.
Baugh, who is a member of Adams’ advance team, was covertly recorded by the investigative journalism group Project Veritas. In the video, he claimed that the city was unprepared to handle the number of migrants sent to the self-described sanctuary city by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“But I still think what Abbott was doing has proven effective. Like, it’s flooded our system. We have more people in social services than we’ve ever had in history. So, it’s effectively demonstrating the strain,” Baugh said in the recording. (RELATED: ‘Not Understanding’: Eric Adams Bashes Biden Over Response To Migrant Busing)
“Frankly, I don’t know how much Biden will appreciate having a mayor be like, ‘Hey, you owe blue cities money because of this migrant crisis,'” Baugh continued. “It’s a tough situation for him, and I don’t know that Eric Adams is capable enough to navigate it.”
INBOX: Chris Baugh, the City Hall staffer caught on tape by the right-wing Project Veritas disparaging @NYCMayor and cops, has been fired. pic.twitter.com/yW3brnl1GJ
— Chris Sommerfeldt (@C_Sommerfeldt) October 20, 2022
Baugh was also recorded criticizing the city’s law enforcement.
“Being a cop is like the cushiest gig in the city,” Baugh said. “Like, you might get shot, but otherwise it’s very good.”
Baugh said he has “no sympathy” for cops who lost their jobs after refusing to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“[Fired NYPD officers] chose not to do a very, very harmless thing that protects the rest of society — fuck ’em,” Baugh said. “I don’t give a shit. They’re like ‘Wah, this is unfair’ — fucking deal with it.”
In a press release, Adams’ office distanced itself from Baugh and claimed Project Veritas has a history of misleadingly editing videos. He also issued a common response to lighten the blow of embarrassing disclosures: That Baugh was “low level.”
“This was a low-level staffer who had no private or special access to the mayor and who wasn’t hired by this administration,” the release read. “Let’s also not forget that, time and again, Project Veritas has lied to spin false narratives and deceive the American people.”
Editor’s note: This copy was updated to add attribution.