Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win, Am Yisrael Chai
Leaders of Young Republican groups around the country sent hundreds of racist and hateful messages over the course of seven months — and the New York GOP is at the center of it.
They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and joked about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.
They used the n-word, referred to rape as “epic” — and even openly considered what would happen if their toxic group chat got leaked.
Members of the New York State Young Republicans — who Rep. Elise Stefanik, the GOP’s likely candidate for governor, called “the backbone of our party” — were more prominent in the chat than any other state’s chapter.
Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the messages — and Stefanik — while speaking with reporters today at an unrelated event.
“These are racist, sexist, disgusting remarks,” Hochul said. “We have a leader from the Republican Party in this state, the highest ranking individual who, in the backdrop of all this, calls one of our candidates for mayor, a jihadist and a terrorist, and then somehow says, ‘Oh, what they said, these young Republicans, was wrong. Look at what you say yourself.”
Hochul then said: “This bullshit has to stop,” and left the gaggle of reporters.
Brooklyn Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, also condemned the chat after POLITICO shared excerpts with her.
“The leadership of the Republican Party needs to really take a look in the mirror at what they are cultivating among this next generation,” she said.
Peter Giunta, who up until publication of the story was chief of staff to Staten Island Assemblymember Mike Reilly, was the ringleader of the chat. He told a fellow GOP-er “I love Hitler” in one message and said that “If your pilot is a she and she looks ten shades darker than someone from Sicily, just end it there. Scream the no no word.” Reilly told Playbook in a statement today that “Mr. Giunta’s assignment in my office has ended.”
They referred to Black people as monkeys and “the watermelon people” and joked about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.
They used the n-word, referred to rape as “epic” — and even openly considered what would happen if their toxic group chat got leaked.
Members of the New York State Young Republicans — who Rep. Elise Stefanik, the GOP’s likely candidate for governor, called “the backbone of our party” — were more prominent in the chat than any other state’s chapter.
Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the messages — and Stefanik — while speaking with reporters today at an unrelated event.
“These are racist, sexist, disgusting remarks,” Hochul said. “We have a leader from the Republican Party in this state, the highest ranking individual who, in the backdrop of all this, calls one of our candidates for mayor, a jihadist and a terrorist, and then somehow says, ‘Oh, what they said, these young Republicans, was wrong. Look at what you say yourself.”
Hochul then said: “This bullshit has to stop,” and left the gaggle of reporters.
Brooklyn Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, also condemned the chat after POLITICO shared excerpts with her.
“The leadership of the Republican Party needs to really take a look in the mirror at what they are cultivating among this next generation,” she said.
Peter Giunta, who up until publication of the story was chief of staff to Staten Island Assemblymember Mike Reilly, was the ringleader of the chat. He told a fellow GOP-er “I love Hitler” in one message and said that “If your pilot is a she and she looks ten shades darker than someone from Sicily, just end it there. Scream the no no word.” Reilly told Playbook in a statement today that “Mr. Giunta’s assignment in my office has ended.”
