UPDATE: New York Young Republicans Officially Disbanded After Racist Chat Scandal

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

New York Republican leaders unanimously voted to disband the state’s chapter of Young Republicans after antisemitic, misogynistic, and racist Telegram chats came to light this week.

In a statement Friday, New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said, “The Young Republicans was already grossly mismanaged, and vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations.”

The New York Times reported Friday that the party’s state leaders were planning the vote so they could clean house and bring in new leadership, according to “three people familiar with the matter.”

“One state Republican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the effort to disband the group, which was first reported by Newsday, would allow for a fresh start. By eliminating the group’s charter, the official said, Republican officials can reconstitute it and then bring in new leadership,” the report said.

On Tuesday, Politico revealed seven months of chats that involved Young Republican leaders in New York, Arizona, and Vermont.

“They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people,’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers,” Politico reported. “They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.”

The report concluded, “The chat offers an unfiltered look at how a new generation of GOP activists talk when they think no one is listening.”

Peter Giunta, who served as the New York state club president, lost his job as chief of staff to a state senator due to the chats. Three other members also lost their jobs, The Times reported.

According to The Times, “Two prominent New York Republicans — Representatives Elise Stefanik and Mike Lawler — called the messages reprehensible, though Ms. Stefanik later characterized the Politico article as a ‘hit piece.’”

Vice President JD Vance downplayed the situation, telling The Charlie Kirk Show, “The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys. They tell edgy, offensive jokes.”

Those involved in the chat were between the ages of 18 and 40.

Read The New York Times article here.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!