“Absolutely appalled”: Young Republicans face fallout after racist messages leak

The fallout from a Politico report on leaked Young Republican group chats continued Wednesday, with GOP leaders denouncing the messages and several participants losing their jobs.

The reporting revealed thousands of messages exchanged among leaders and members of the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) and state affiliates, filled with racist slurs, violent rhetoric and jokes about rape and gas chambers. One member wrote that “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber,” in reference to a YRNF chairman election, according to Politico. Others referred to Black people as “monkeys” or “the watermelon people.”

Several participants faced immediate consequences. William Hendrix, a vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, was fired from the Kansas attorney general’s office. Hendrix reportedly used variations of the N-word more than a dozen times in the chat. Peter Giunta, formerly the chair of the New York State Young Republicans, was removed from his position as chief of staff to Assemblymember Mike Reilly. Joseph Maligno, who previously identified as general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, also lost his job, while Vermont state Senator Sam Douglass faced calls for resignation from the state’s Republican governor Phil Scott, among others.

Some other national and state GOP figures were quick to condemn the content of the chats. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R‑N.Y., told Politico that she was “absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans and other state YRs in a large national group chat,” calling for those responsible to step down. State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and New York GOP Chair Ed Cox similarly criticized the messages.

The Young Republican National Federation released a social media statement saying it was “appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed” in the chats. It demanded that all participants immediately resign from positions within their state organizations. The Kansas state branch of the Young Republicans was disbanded following the revelations. 

Vice President JD Vance, however, offered a different perspective, tweeting that comments from a Democratic candidate for attorney general in Virginia calling for harm to political opponents were “far worse than anything said in a college group chat,” adding, “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”

Participants themselves issued apologies while questioning the circumstances of the leaks. Giunta said the release was part of “a highly coordinated year-long character assassination led by Gavin Wax and the New York City Young Republican Club,” though he acknowledged concerns about the content. Walker stated, “there is no excuse for the language and tone in messages attributed to me. The language is wrong and hurtful, and I sincerely apologize. This has been a painful lesson about judgment and trust.”

Democratic officials also harshly criticized the group. When asked if these represented a few “bad apples,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the problem ran much deeper and had to be fixed. 

“These are the future of the Republican Party. This is so vile it’s hard to find the words to put into context that these are people who are part of one of two major parties and they believe in gas chambers and rape and discrimination based on the color of people’s skin,” she said. “Kick them out of the party. Take away their official roles. Stop using them as campaign advisers. This bulls**t has to stop.”