‘I’m going to create some of the greatest physiological torture methods known to man. We only want true believers.’
‘I’m ready to watch people burn now.’
‘I love Hitler.’
‘If we ever had a leak of this chat, we would be cooked fr fr.’
These messages were sent in a group chat between a dozen young Republicans across the United States, nicknamed ‘RESTOREYR WAR ROOM’.
Instances of outright racism and antisemitism throughout the messages have rocked the US this week.
The leaked Telegram chat, first uncovered by Politico, found 2,900 pages of chats shared this year by members who work inside government or party politics.
When asked if he was watching an NBA game, Luke Mosiman, chair of the Arizona Young Republicans, remarked: ‘I’d go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball.’
Former chair of New York State Young Republicans, Peter Giunta, remarked: ‘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.’
‘I’m ready to watch people burn now,’ Annie Kaykaty, New York’s national committee member, said.
They referred to Black people as ‘monkeys’ and ‘watermelon people’.
Discussions about raping their enemies and later driving them to suicide also surfaced. They applauded members of the Republican party they thought supported slavery.
William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair, said ‘n****r’ more than a dozen times in the chat.
Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, said rape was ‘epic’.
In one tirade, Giunta wrote: ‘Minnesota – f—-ts. Arkansas – inbred cow f***ers. Nebraska – revolt in our favour; blocked their bid and has a majority of their delegates. Maryland – fat stinky Jew … Rhode Island – traitorous c—s who I will eradicate from the face of this planet.’
Public outcry – and JD Vance’s questionable statement
Since the messages surfaced, social media accounts of nearly all involved have disappeared.
Giunta, however, doubled down in a statement released on social media, claiming it was a ‘character assassination’.
‘These logs were sourced by way of extortion and provided to POLITICO by the very same people conspiring against me,’ he claimed.
He later did apologise and take responsibility: ‘I am so sorry to those offended by the insensitive and inexcusable language found within the more than 28,000 messages of a private group chat that I created during my campaign to lead the Young Republicans.
‘While I take complete responsibility, I have had no way of verifying their accuracy and am deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored.’
Walker, who is still head of the New York State Young Republicans, said the chat ‘may have been altered or manipulated’.
He added: ‘There is no excuse for the language and tone in messages attributed to me. The language is wrong and hurtful, and I sincerely apologise.’
Despite these apologies and deletion of social media accounts, it’s understood that one member of the group lost their job and another lost a job offer.
Vice President JD Vance, however, shared a grab of messages he alleged were from a Democrat who could become the Attorney General of Virginia, which he claimed was ‘far worse’.
‘This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia. I refuse to join the pearl-clutching when powerful people call for political violence,’ he wrote.
His followers weren’t impressed.
Harry Sisson replied: ‘They said they like Nazis and hate black people. Why are you so fucking weak that you can’t condemn both?’
Joshua Eakle added: ‘Both things can be bad. If I were you, I’d be rightfully disturbed and appalled if my party were crawling with young operatives who think my wife and kids deserve to go to the gas chambers.
‘But, truthfully, I think we’ve all stopped expecting you to have any honour or decency.’
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