NEW YORK – A leaked trove of roughly 2,900 pages of private Telegram messages among Young Republican leaders revealed repeated racist, antisemitic, and violent remarks — including jokes about gas chambers, rape, and slavery — sparking swift condemnation, job losses, and calls for resignations.
No links to any New Jersey Young Republicans or Republican organizations were revealed during the investigation.
The messages, exchanged over several months among leaders and activists in Young Republican chapters in New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont, show participants using racial slurs, praising Adolf Hitler, and discussing inflicting harm on political opponents.
Several people identified in the chats have already faced professional consequences, with at least two members losing jobs or having offers rescinded after the material became public.
Prominent state and national Republicans publicly denounced the messages, and some local chapters moved to distance themselves from the individuals involved as the party grapples with internal fallout.
What the chats reveal and who is affected
The logs include messages by figures identified as William Hendrix, Bobby Walker, and Peter Giunta, among others. The exchanges contain repeated slurs and explicit references to violence, with several participants urging harassment or celebrating cruelty toward political opponents.
He later apologized, saying, “I am so sorry to those offended by the insensitive and inexcusable language found within the more than 28,000 messages of a private group chat that I created during my campaign to lead the Young Republicans. While I take complete responsibility, I have had no way of verifying their accuracy and am deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored.”
The discussions also reflected an internal power struggle among Young Republicans seeking to shape the organization’s future along a more extreme ideological line, using private group chats to plan tactics and consolidate control.
Bipartisan outrage and immediate consequences
Lawmakers from both parties condemned the language after the leak surfaced. The revelations prompted at least one staff firing and one rescinded job offer, and created pressure for others to resign. State party leaders and national Young Republican officials called for accountability and internal reviews.
Some of those involved defended their participation by claiming comments were jokes or taken out of context, while others have remained silent. Their explanations have done little to calm backlash as employers and political groups act on the disclosures.
A broader concern about political culture
Political analysts say the episode demonstrates how a coarsened political environment and shifting social norms can normalize hateful rhetoric among rising political figures. They warn that unchecked attitudes expressed in private could eventually influence behavior and policy.
In response, Young Republican chapters across several states have pledged to review membership, strengthen internal codes of conduct, and press for resignations where warranted.