Overview
- POLITICO obtained more than seven months of Telegram messages among Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont.
- The chats included repeated slurs, fantasies about rape, and references to gas chambers, with epithets appearing more than 251 times combined.
- Participants named in coverage include adults working in politics and government such as SBA adviser Michael Bartels and Vermont state senator Samuel Douglass.
- The Young Republicans organization issued a strong denunciation of the comments following publication of the messages.
- Vice President JD Vance characterized the exchanges as edgy jokes by kids during an appearance on The Charlie Kirk Show.