This morning brought new fallout after the leak of racist and antisemitic text messages linked to members of young Republican groups across the United States. Politico reports obtaining seven months of private group chat exchanges where racial and antisemitic slurs appeared over 250 times.
“It’s awful. It’s revolting. It’s disgusting. It’s obnoxious,” one Republican member said after the leak surfaced.
According to Politico, Peter Juna, former chair of the New York State Young Republicans, allegedly wrote in one message, “Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.” In another exchange, he reportedly added, “Great. I love Hitler.”
The messages emerged during heated internal discussions over support for a right-wing candidate. Several Republicans have since condemned the remarks, while Vice President JD Vance dismissed them as “edgy, offensive jokes.”
“We’re not canceling kids because they do something ignorant in a group chat,” Vance said.
Reports indicate that at least eight of the eleven participants in the group chat are between 24 and 34 years old, including a Vermont state senator and a federal official. Some members have apologized while others claim the messages taken out of context or digitally altered.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a congressional investigation. However, Vice President Vance pushed back, saying some Democrats have “said worse” and warning against a rush to judgment.
“By the way,” Vance added, “if they were left-wing kids telling ignorant left-wing jokes, I also wouldn’t want their lives ruined for something uninformed said in a private chat.”
At least three individuals involved have since lost their jobs following the controversy.
