The Hill does a follow up piece revealing more on the group chat story that Politico recently ran….
An explosive new report from Politico exposed thousands of text messages from a Young Republican group chat in which members joked about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
The group chat included messages from about a dozen leaders associated with the Young Republican National Federation — the GOP’s 15,000-member political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40 years old — and spanned more than seven months this year.
The reporting sent waves through political circles, as the Young Republican leaders mentioned in the story — from New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont — drew intense scrutiny and backlash, including from members of the GOP. Some were promptly fired from their jobs in politics.
The Young Republican National Federation condemned the “vile and inexcusable language revealed in the Politico article” and called for immediate resignations of all those involved.
Others, like Vice President Vance, suggested the leaked text messages sent by a Democratic candidate in Virginia were “far worse” than the messages in the Young Republicans group chat, adding, “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”
Here’s a look at the Young Republicans mentioned in the piece and the repercussions they are now facing.
Peter Giunta
The former chair of the New York State Young Republicans, Giunta “was the most prominent voice in the chat spreading racist messages — often encouraged or ‘liked’ by other members,” Politico reported….
…
Bobby Walker
Walker took over as chair of the New York State Young Republicans after Giunta resigned last month. For much of the time that the text messages span, Walker served as vice chair of the organization.
In the Politico story, Walker was reported to have referred to a reported rape as “epic” and used the homophobic slur, “f—–,” though Politico noted he was also “the group’s main target for the same epithet.”….
…
Samuel Douglass
Douglass, a state senator from northern Vermont who heads the state’s Young Republicans, is apparently the only elected official in the group chat.
He is facing growing calls to resign over his participation in the chat — including from Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott.
“The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable. The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it,” Scott said in a Tuesday statement….
…
William Hendrix
Hendrix, the vice chair of Kansas Young Republicans, was also an active participant in the chat. He reportedly used variations of the N-word more than a dozen times, according to Politico.
Hendrix is reported to have invoked racist stereotypes when describing Black people. In July, Politico’s story said he wrote in the chat, “Bro is at a chicken restaurant ordering his food. Would he like some watermelon and kool aid with that?”
Hendrix has apparently faced professional repercussions over the scandal.
Until last Thursday, according to Politico, he was communications assistant for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R). A spokesperson for Kobach’s office told Politico that “we are aware of the issues raised in your article” and Hendrix was “no longer employed” in the attorney general’s office….
The president of the RI Young Republican Chairman, Ken Naylor, Jr., issued a statement on Wednesday, “The recently published Politico article, detailing an inappropriate text chain between a few individuals who identified as Young Republicans from other states, is absolutely disgusting. As Chair of the Rhode Island Young Republicans, I was shocked and appalled to see Rhode Island specifically targeted in the leaked messages — a state singled out with threats of violence by a group of thugs.”
Politico exclusively reported on Tuesday, “Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway. They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.”
Young Republicans were caught repeatedly using the n-word and stating they “love Hitler.”
Naylor added, A few short months ago, at the National Young Republican Convention in Nashville, the Rhode Island Young Republicans (RIYR) attended with a full delegation and unanimously voted against the entire slate of candidates that was behind this group chat.”
“We categorically denounce the entire culture of hateful, extremist rhetoric exposed in those chats. The slurs, the threats, the demeaning language toward every group involved (including the threats against RIYR) are unacceptable and have no place in any political discourse or organization. This behavior is a stain on our shared values and our collective efforts to build bridges in our communities. This is not who we are and it will never be who we become,” said Naylor.
https://www.golocalprov.com/politics/ri-young-republicans-disavow-racist-and-pro-nazi-statements-made-by-nationa
Republicans Be Eating their Own….
New York GOP to Disband Young Republicans
“After racist texts among members of the New York State Young Republicans were made public, the party’s state leaders were slated to meet Friday and vote to disband the group,” the New York Times reports.
“The planned vote comes days after Politico disclosed how leaders of Young Republican groups across the country exchanged messages that included racist and antisemitic comments, with some participants’ discourse including comments about raping their political enemies and placing them in gas chambers.”
The New York State Republican Party (led by Richard Nixon’s son-in law) just disbanded the state’s YR group over this. This is in spite of the fact that their likely nominee for Governor, Elise Stefanik, was downplaying the whole thing yesterday.
Elise Stefanik [who started her Congressional career as a Rockefeller Republican] downplays this YR hatefest, but considers anyone who criticises Netanyahu’s policies to be an anti-Semite.
That would go for the THOUSANDS IN Israel that had protested against their Prime Minister?