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Daniela Jampel: Mom who confronted Mayor Eric Adams on toddler mask mandate fired from job

'Three weeks ago, you told parents to trust you that you would unmask our toddlers,' Jampel said. 'That has not happened'

Daniela Jampel, the New York City mother who posed as a reporter to confront Mayor Eric Adams over his toddler mask mandate during his press conference on Monday, was fired from her job. She worked as an assistant corporation counsel at the New York City Law Department since February 2016.

Jampel learned that she was fired from her job less than an hour after she confronted Adams about the toddler mask mandate. "Three weeks ago, you told parents to trust you that you would unmask our toddlers. You stood right here, and you said that the masks would come off April 4. That has not happened," Jampel told Adams. When the City Hall staffers tried to cut her off after realizing she wasn't a reporter, Adams allowed her to continue and said, "Let her finish, cause you let her start. Go ahead and finish ma'am. Turn on your phone so you can get my answer correctly but come to a conclusion."

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"Not only did you renege on your promise, you had your lawyers race to court on Friday night arguing that there would be irreparable harm if children under 5 are allowed to take off their masks today along with their older siblings in school. So my questions are, what is the irreparable harm to children aged 2 to 4 take off their masks, just as they do in Long Island, just as they do in Westchester? When will you and will you unmask our toddlers?" Jampel further asked.

"I made the announcement that we were looking to announce today, which is Monday, to take the masks off children 2 and 4 years old. But I also stated, if we see an uptick, we will come back and make the announcement of what we're going to do. We're going to pivot and shift as COVID is pivoting and shifting. There is a new variant. The numbers are increasing. We're going to move at the right pace, and that's the role I must do. If I have to pivot and shift and have other adults do something different, I'm going to do so," Adams replied.

A day before the conference, Jampel had tweeted, "@NYCMayor is going to be on @FaceTheNation with @margbrennan tomorrow. He should answer for reneging on his promise to unmask toddlers. Currently, toddlers going to daycare & preschool are the only people in NYC who have to mask. It is immoral, illogical, and just wrong." She further tweeted, "@NYCMayor lied parents. He told us to "Trust me, they'll be unmasked." He told us that the masks would be coming off April 4. On April 1, he fought a court battle to keep his Toddler Mask Mandate. And then bragged about winning. Shameful & dishonorable."

The Law Department's spokesman confirmed Jampel's termination but stated that the decision was made prior to the incident. "We hold all of our employees to the highest professional standards. In public statements, Ms. Jampel has made troubling claims about her work for the city Law Department. Based on those statements, the decision had been made to terminate her prior to today. Today's events, however, which include her decision to lie to City Hall staff and state she was a journalist at today's press conference, demonstrate a disturbing lack of judgment and integrity. As of today, she is no longer an employee of the Law Department," the spokesperson told the New York Post.

Jampel tweeted, "My statement is that I am retaining counsel and will not litigate in the press." As per the New York Post, sources stated the decision to terminate Jampel came Friday after she tweeted against Adams for upholding the toddler mask mandate and said her job with the city entailed defending cops who lie in court, teachers who molest children, prison guards who beat inmates. "It is a job I have done proudly. Until tonight. Fighting to keep masks on toddlers is shameful. I am ashamed of my office," Jampel had written in a now-deleted tweet.