Young Republicans’ chats reveal racist, anti-Semitic messages
Politico exposed racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic messages in a leaked Young Republicans Telegram chat group.
WASHINGTON – The Executive Committee of the New York State Republican Party State Committee voted on October 17 to suspend the state’s Young Republicans chapter after its leaders sent racist and derogatory text messages in a Telegram chat.
The text messages, first reported by Politico, included derogatory racial epithets for black people. People who call rape “epic.” The same individual wrote in support of Nazi Germany’s genocidal dictator Adolf Hitler. A joke about putting political opponents in gas chambers. and praises Republicans who “support slavery.”
“The Young Republicans are already grossly mismanaged, and vulgar language like the one used in group chats has no place in our party or its subordinate organizations,” Ed Cox, chairman of the New York State Republican Party, said in a statement.
Some of the text messages were written over a seven-month period in a chat titled “RESTOREYR WAR ROOM” and were from Peter Giunta, former chairman of the New York State Young Republicans. Mr. Giunta, who served as chief of staff to New York State Assemblyman Michael Riley, was fired from his position due to his involvement in the chat.
Three other leaders of the New York branch and young Republican leaders in Kansas, Arizona and Vermont also sent text messages.
The Kansas Republican Party denounced the involvement of two Kansas Young Republicans leaders, Chairman Alex Dwyer and Vice Chairman William Hendricks. Hendricks was fired from the attorney general’s office over the leaked messages, and the party was suspended as party leaders and rank-and-file members resigned.
Danedri Herbert, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said in a statement that party leadership was uncomfortable with the comments and that they do not represent the beliefs of Kansas Republicans.
Contributor: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY. Jack Harvell, Topeka Capital Journal
