Overview

• Politico obtained and published roughly 2,900 pages of Telegram messages from Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont that feature racist, antisemitic, misogynistic, and violent rhetoric, with major slurs used more than 250 times.
• Consequences began immediately: one participant was fired, another lost a job offer, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach dismissed staffer William Hendrix on Oct. 9, and the Kansas Young Republicans were declared inactive by the state party.
• The Young Republican National Federation’s board condemned the language as disgraceful and demanded that anyone involved resign from positions in state and local chapters.
• Peter Giunta apologized for “inexcusable” language but alleged a coordinated smear effort, Bobby Walker said portions of the logs may have been manipulated, and SBA adviser Michael Bartels submitted a notarized affidavit disputing how the chat was obtained.
• Prominent Republicans including Rep. Elise Stefanik and New York Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt denounced the messages, and Giunta lost his position as chief of staff to New York Assemblymember Mike Reilly following the report.