“This is so vile.” After racist chats were leaked, young Republicans faced criticism

A number of Young Republican leaders across the nation are facing significant criticism after Politico exposed some of their racist and extremely offensive private group chat messages.

Both Republican and Democratic politicians condemned the group and the language used. Resignations have been requested by the Young Republican National Federation. In addition to the Kansas Young Republican group being shut down, some of the individuals who participated in the racist chat have now lost their jobs.

The chat participants were urged by the Young Republican National Federation to “immediately resign from all positions” within the group.

2,900 pages of leaked conversations from a Telegram group chat involving Young Republican leaders were made public by Politico on Tuesday. Racist and offensive language was used in the chats.

Participants in the group, which included those actively collaborating with elected officials and others seeking leadership roles in the national Young Republican organization, knew that they might suffer serious consequences if the information in their communications was made public.

Bobby Walker, the newly appointed chair of the New York State Young Republicans, stated in the chat that “we would be cooked fr fr if we ever had a leak of this chat.”.

The Young Republicans, however, continued to type and share racist remarks and offensive messages.

Members of the chat called Black people “the watermelon people” and monkeys, according to Politico. They jokingly suggested using gas chambers to murder political rivals. In addition to making antisemitic remarks, one chat participant joked, “I love Hitler.”. The widespread rape of Indigenous people was described as “epic” by another participant. A member stated that he backed Republicans who, in his opinion, were pro-slavery. Additionally, one participant described pushing a rival Young Republican opponent to end their own life.

Politico recorded the use of derogatory language, such as the N-word and a term that is homophobic. In the chat, the word “retarded” was used more than 251 times in total.

The Young Republicans’ conversation and the politicians connected to the group’s members were also swiftly condemned by Democrats.

Republican representatives Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik have been “palling around with these racist, antisemitic, and bigoted ‘Young Republicans’ for years,” according to House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, who also said that the representatives’ “phony outrage” was merely a show.

The messages infuriated New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

At a press conference, Hochul declared, “Some bad apples? These are the future of the Republican party.”. It’s difficult to find the right words to describe how disgusting this is, given that these individuals belong to one of the two major parties and support rape, gas chambers, and discrimination against people based on their skin color. “.”.

Additionally, Hochul demanded that the chat participants be expelled from the Republican Party. She continued, “This bullshit has to stop.”.

With one notable exception—JD Vance—Republicans nationwide have also attempted to disassociate themselves from the chat participants.

The vice president criticized Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones, who was involved in his own texting scandal, in a post on X. Earlier this month, it came to light that Jones had texted a coworker about shooting a Republican political opponent.

Jones’ remarks were “way worse” than those of the Young Republicans’ group chat, according to Vance on X, who also stated that he would not “join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”. Brilyn Hollyhand, a right-wing influencer, and other conservatives who have condemned the Young Republicans’ chat have also brought attention to Jones’s text scandal.

However, outside of social media, some Young Republicans have lost their jobs as a result of their leaked chats.

Peter Giunta, who was the chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time of the chats, was one of the most well-known attendees. Michael Reilly, a member of the New York assembly, dismissed Giunta as his chief of staff.

“The reported comments made in the group chat are really disappointing and concerning. My values are not in line with theirs. Therefore, Mr. Giunta’s assignment in my office is over,” Reilly told Staten Island Live in a statement.

Representative Stefanik, a Republican from New York, condemned the chat, telling Politico that he “calls for any NY Young Republicans responsible for these horrific comments in this chat to step down immediately.” Stefanik had previously praised Giunta for his “tremendous leadership” of the New York Young Republicans. In the chat, the congresswoman did not hire anyone, the spokesperson clarified.

Then, on Tuesday evening, Stefanik took to social media to denounce the Politico story as a “hit piece,” bring up the Jones texting incident, and accuse Zohran Mamdani, the mayoral candidate for New York City, of harboring “terrorist sympathizers.”.

Joe Maligno, another participant from New York, is no longer employed by the state unified court system in New York.

Additionally, one Young Republican chapter has been put on hold as a result of the scandal. Following Politico’s report, the Young Republican organization in the state was deactivated by the Kansas Republican Party. The state’s Young Republican group had two prominent members who participated in the chat; according to Politico, William Hendrix, the group’s vice-chair, used the N-word over a dozen times. The messages caused Hendrix to lose his position with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach before the story was published.