“The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” Vance said.
Mother Jones reports that public records indicate that eight of the 11 Republican operatives who took part in the offensive chat appear to range in age from 24 to 35.
Vance, however, scolded Democrats and the media for paying too much attention to “what a bunch of young people, a bunch of kids, say in a group chat, however offensive”.
Vance expressed irritation at people he said had allowed themselves to be distracted from the Democrat’s “incredible endorsement of political violence … by focusing on what kids are saying in a group chat”.
Republican legislative leaders in Vermont, along with governor Phil Scott – also a Republican – called for the resignation of Sam Douglass, a state senator, revealed to be a participant in the chat.
JD Vance attempted to minimize the disclosure that the leaders of a group known as the Young Republicans exchanged hundreds of racist and sexist texts, including one in which someone wrote “I love Hitler” and another in which rape was referred to as “epic,” as youthful transgressions.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, a podcast hosted by the late conservative activist’s colleagues, Vance implied that the individuals involved in the leaked conversations were significantly younger than they actually are. The vice president, who is 41, is barely younger than some of the participants.
“It’s a fact that children, particularly young boys, make foolish decisions,” Vance stated. They make crude, edgy jokes. That is what children do. The last thing I want is for us to grow up in a nation where a child’s life can be ruined by making a stupid joke, especially one that is extremely offensive. “”.
Politico gathered months’ worth of conversations between Young Republican National Federation leaders and members and some of its affiliates in Kansas, New York, Arizona, and Vermont via Telegram.
According to Mother Jones, public documents show that eight of the 11 Republican operatives involved in the offensive chat seem to be between the ages of 24 and 35.
Bipartisan demands for the removal or resignation of those involved in the scandals have been made.
Those involved were urged to resign from the Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s political organization for Republicans aged 18 to 40. The group said the interactions were “unbecoming of any Republican.”.
However, Vance criticized the media and Democrats for focusing too much on “what a bunch of young people, a bunch of kids, say in a group chat, however offensive.”.
The Republican racist texts, he said, were a diversion from offensive texts sent by Jay Jones, a Democratic candidate for Virginia’s attorney general, who made a joke about how much he would rather kill a Republican colleague than Hitler or Pol Pot.
According to Jones, he has since publicly apologized to Todd Gilbert, the speaker of Virginia’s house of delegates at the time, and accepted “full responsibility” for his remarks.
The Democrat’s “incredible endorsement of political violence … by focusing on what kids are saying in a group chat” is something that Vance said annoyed people for allowing themselves to be distracted.
“Come on,” the vice president told those who were more worried about racism in his party than the other party’s violence jokes. “I apologize, but don’t pay attention to what kids say in group chats; instead, concentrate on the important problems. “.”.
“Most of what I, the stupid things that I did as a teenager and as a young adult, are not on the internet,” Vance claimed, referring to the time period in which he was raised.
“Especially my boys, don’t put things on the internet, like, be careful with what you post,” the father of three said, admonishing his own kids. It is reasonable to assume that if you post something in a group chat, someone will try to harm you or your family by leaking it. “.”.
Vance stated, “I seriously don’t want us to grow up in a nation where a child’s life can be destroyed by a very offensive, stupid joke.”.
Other Republicans called for more prompt action. Republican legislative leaders in Vermont and Republican governor Phil Scott demanded the resignation of state senator Sam Douglass, who was found to have participated in the conversation.
New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik called for those involved to resign from their positions, saying she was “absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans.”. The comments, according to Kansas GOP chair Danedri Herbert, “do not reflect the beliefs of Republicans and certainly not of Kansas Republicans at large.”.
Democrats’ denunciations have been more consistent. In a letter to James Comer, the chair of the House oversight committee, California Governor Gavin Newsom requested an investigation into the “vile and offensive text messages,” which he described as “the definition of conduct that can create a hostile and discriminatory environment that violates civil rights laws.”.
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday, called the conversation “revolting” and urged Republicans like Trump and Vance to “condemn these remarks swiftly and unequivocally.”.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul referred to the exchanges as “vile” and demanded that those responsible face consequences when questioned about the reporting.
“Remove them from the celebration.”. Take away their positions of authority. Put an end to their use as campaign advisors, Hochul declared. Consequences must be imposed. This nonsense must end. “”.
