 "From gas chambers to rape: What young Republicans joke about")
Gas chambers. Slavery. Rape. Expressing a love for Hitler.
These are just some of the subjects young Republicans have been joking about for months. This, according to 2,900 pages of leaked Telegram chats of the Young Republican National Federation.
The revelations have led to outrage and condemnation within the GOP, with some prominent members demanding they remove any association with the party.
But what do we know? What’s been the fallout?
Let’s take a closer look:
The Young Republican National Federation
First, let’s take a brief look at the group itself.The Young Republican National Federation traces its origins back to the Young Republican Club, which was established in 1856.
It calls itself “the oldest political youth organisation in the United States” as well as the “premier Republican youth organisation.”
It says its aim is to conduct outreach to registered Republicans between the ages of 18 and 40 and to provide them with ‘political knowledge and understanding of the issues of the day.’
The YRNF has local outfits in all US states plus the territory of Puerto Rico. It is said to comprise around 15,000 members.
The Telegram group and the members named
The Telegram group in question was named the ‘Restoreyr War Room’ – which has now reportedly been deactivated. The 2,900 pages of chats occurred between January and mid-August. Around a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans, most in their mid-to-late 20s, were part of the group.
Among those named are William Hendrix, who belongs to the group’s Kansas subdivision and worked for Attorney General Kris Kobach, Bobby Walker, the former vice-chair of the group’s New York section, and Peter Giunta, who is chief of staff for New York state Assembly’s Mike Reilly. Members from Arizona and Vermont were also identified.
The messages include jokes about sending opponents to the gas chambers, raping them and making slaves of them. They also comprised racial slurs against black people, calling them ‘monkeys’ and ‘watermelon people’. The chats showed epithets like “faggot,” “retarded” and “nigga” were used over 250 times.
Hendrix, vice-chair of the Kansas outfit, used the words “nigga” and “nigguh” over a dozen times. Walker called rape ‘epic’. Some of the chats sounded like they came from the mouths of neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
Giunta, talking about an upcoming vote that could make him chair of the national organisation, said “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.” “I’m going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers,” Giunta wrote.
“I’d go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball,” Giunta, responding to a query if he watched the NBA, wrote. He also referred to Black people as “the watermelon people.”
“Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic,” Joe Maligno, who previously said he was the general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, responded. “I’m ready to watch people burn now,” Annie Kaykaty, New York’s national committee member, added.
Late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, who were buddies for decades before a falling out, were also mentioned.
“Trump’s too busy burning the Epstein files,” Alex Dwyer, the chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, added.
Dwyer also told Giunta that a member of Michigan’s Young Republicans said they “will vote for the most right-wing person” to lead the group. “Great. I love Hitler,” Giunta replied.
Racism against Indians was also on display. Walker wrote about how a friend “dated this very obese Indian woman for a period of time” – to which Giunta responded that she “was not Indian.”
“She just didn’t bathe often,” Samuel Douglass, a state senator from northern Vermont, responded. Douglass is the chief of Vermont’s Young Republicans.
Giunta has responded by alleging extortion to secure the logs and conspiracy against him. He also questioned the authenticity of the chats and claimed that they may have been doctored. However, he also apologised. Many more named in the groups have chosen not to comment.
What do experts say?
Experts say Trump’s return to the White House has played a role in this scandal. The US president, who has been accused of, among other things, racism and sexism, just last month posted an AI-video showing Hakeem Jeffries, a top Democrat, wearing a sombrero.
His remarks about ‘grabbing women by the pussy’ prior to the 2016 election were dismissed by many of his supporters and top Republican politicians as mere ‘locker room talk’.
“The more the political atmosphere is open and liberating — like it has been with the emergence of Trump and a more right-wing GOP even before him — it opens up young people and older people to telling racist jokes, making racist commentaries in private and public,” Joe Feagin, a Texas A&M sociology professor who has studied racism for decades, told Politico. “It’s chilling, of course, because they will act on these views.”
Art Jipson, a professor at the University of Dayton, said the US president’s influence was undeniable. “Trump’s persistent use of hostile, often inflammatory language that normalises aggressive discourse in conservative circles can be incredibly influential on young operatives who are still trying to figure out, ‘What is that political discourse?’” Jipson told the website.
What’s been the fallout?
Giunta has reportedly been fired from his job, while a member of the group has had a job offer taken back.
A few high-ranking New York Republicans including Representative Elise Stefanik and state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt have condemned the group.
Ironically, Stefanik was honoured by the Young Republicans earlier this year. She also praised Giunta’s ‘tremendous leadership’ during the event.
“I was shocked and disgusted to learn about the racist, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic comments attributed to members of the New York State Young Republicans,” Ortt said. “This behaviour is indefensible and has no place in our party or anywhere in public life.”
The Young Republicans group also chimed in.
“We are appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed in the Politico article published today. Such behaviour is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents. Those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organisations. We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, respect, and professionalism,” the group wrote on X.
However, many more within the GOP remain silent.
With inputs from agencies
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