New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her concerns on Wednesday regarding troubling remarks made by young Republicans in a Telegram group linked to the Young Republicans National Federation, an organization of about 15,000 members aimed at engaging Republican voters aged 18 to 40.
Hochul remarked, “This isn’t just one individual expressing admiration for Hitler. Many voices are sharing ideas that are not only disgusting but also deeply abhorrent. It’s something that everyone, from the president downwards, should denounce. And there will be repercussions.” She made these comments during a press conference.
Hochul further stated, “They should be ousted from the party. Remove them from their public roles. Don’t let them assist in campaigns. We need tangible actions. This nonsense has to end.”
Several individuals from the group chat have faced criticism, including Republican Senator Samuel Douglas of Vermont and Peter Giunta, formerly the chief of staff to a New York congressman.
Giunta has since been dismissed, while Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) has called for Douglas’s resignation. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) also denounced the chat’s contents.
In a twist, Vice President J.D. Vance claimed that recently leaked messages from Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones were “far worse” than the revelations from the young Republicans.
“What was shared in a college chat pales in comparison to comments from someone vying for Virginia’s AG post,” Vance stated in a Tuesday post on a social platform.
Hochul did not reference Jones directly, but suggested that Republican leaders have fostered racist language in recent months, which may have led younger members to think such comments were condoned within the party.
She explained, “It’s essential to consider that these individuals are part of one of our two main political parties, holding beliefs about gas chambers, rape, and discrimination based on skin color.”
“These statements are, quite frankly, racist, sexist, and utterly revolting,” she added.
On Wednesday, Hochul noted in a text, as reported by Politico, that this situation reflects a broader Republican effort to marginalize individuals based on race or national origin.
Hochul noted, “We have top Republican leaders in our state referring to one of our mayoral candidates as a jihadist and a terrorist.” This comment was directed at New York City Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zoran Mamdani.
She continued, “You criticize what this young Republican said while ignoring your own inflammatory language. This is likely influencing many young people who have supported you.”
According to Politico, around 2,900 pages of text messages were discovered, containing many instances of misogyny, racism, and violent language.
Meanwhile, Giunta, who sought to become the president of the Young Republicans, alleged that some messages might have been altered and accused New York Young Republicans Club President Gavin Wax of providing screenshots to Politico for “blackmail” in what he termed a “coordinated, year-long character assassination.”
Giunta addressed the situation by saying, “I sincerely apologize to anyone offended by the hurtful language found in the over 28,000 messages in the private chats I set up during my campaign for the Young Republicans National Federation.” He added, “While I accept full responsibility, I cannot verify the accuracy of these messages and am worried that they might have been misleadingly altered.”
