Vile leaked messages expose Young Republican leaders allegedly praising Hitler, mocking Black people as “monkeys,” and boasting about raping their rivals and pushing them to suicide.
William Hendrix, the white vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, allegedly used variations of the n-word more than a dozen times in a Telegram group chat titled “RESTOREYR WAR ROOM,” according to messages obtained by Politico.
During a July discussion about African Americans, he posted, “Bro is at a chicken restaurant ordering his food. Would he like some watermelon and Kool-Aid with that?”
Texts from Bobby Walker, who was vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, show him referring to rape as “epic.” NYSYR
William Hendrix, the white vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, allegedly used variations of the n-word more than a dozen times in private Telegram messages, according to records obtained by Politico.
Bobby Walker, then vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans, also described rape as “epic” in another disturbing exchange, according to the texts.
During a heated June tirade, Peter Giunta — who was chair of New York’s Young Republicans at the time — warned that anyone who didn’t back his bid to lead the group’s National Federation was “going to the gas chamber,” the report says.
Walker, with Rep. Elise Stefanik, also allegedly made racist comments.Facebook / Elise Stefanik
Giunta allegedly followed up with, “I’m going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers,” drawing an immediate response from Joe Maligno, who served at the time as the group’s general counsel.
Maligno allegedly quipped, “Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic,” sparking a reply from another member of New York’s Young Republicans.
Annie Kaykaty, a member of New York’s national committee, allegedly wrote, “I’m ready to watch people burn now.”
Giunta allegedly declared, “I love Hitler,” during yet another ugly exchange, replying to the Kansas Young Republicans’ chair.
The leaked chats show he also labeled a Maryland opponent a “fat stinky Jew” and referred to Arkansas Young Republicans as “inbred cow f–kers.”
According to reports, Giunta made several offensive jokes about Black people, one of which came in response to a question about an NBA playoff game.
“I’d go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball,” Giunta responded, while elsewhere he reportedly referred to African Americans as “the watermelon people.”
Some 2,900 pages of messages exchanged between about a dozen Young Republican leaders from early January through mid-August were exposed in the leak.
Peter Giunta reportedly said, “I love Hitler” in a message. YRNF
Politico reported that at least one member of the group chat lost his job, while another saw a job offer withdrawn.
Following the leaks, the chairman of the Kansas Republican Party said Tuesday that the state Young Republicans group had been shut down immediately.
The office of Attorney General Kris Kobach announced that former Chair Hendrix had been terminated from his communications position.
“The comments in the chat are inexcusable. As soon as the office learned of those messages, Will Hendrix’s employment was terminated,” Kobach told the Kansas Reflector.
Speaking out against the messages, Michael Austin, CEO of the Kansas Black Republican Council, called them outrageous.
“Such conduct is not merely offensive. It is a betrayal of the very principles upon which our party was founded: the defense of liberty, the abolition of slavery and the belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every human being,” Austin told the Kansas Reflector.
“These few individuals do not represent Kansas, nor do they reflect the values of Kansas Republicans,” he said.
