On Friday, October 17, 2025, the New York State Republican Party took the extraordinary step of disbanding its Young Republicans chapter following a damning report that revealed a months-long pattern of racist, antisemitic, and violent rhetoric among its members. The unanimous vote by the party’s executive committee to revoke the group’s charter, voting power, and even its use of the word "Republican" in its name, marks one of the most severe responses to internal scandal in recent party history. The move, widely reported by outlets including Politico, WABC, and NBC News, is being framed by party leaders as a necessary reset after what many described as a gross betrayal of the party’s values.
The scandal first broke when Politico published an exposé detailing the contents of a private Telegram group chat involving not just New York’s Young Republican leaders, but also counterparts from Vermont, Kansas, and Arizona. Over seven months, at least 251 examples of bigoted, violent, and hateful language were exchanged in the group, according to Politico. The messages included praise for Adolf Hitler, jokes about gas chambers, and casual references to rape and slavery. The language was so egregious that even seasoned political observers were taken aback. Jason Beeferman, a reporter for Politico, summarized the content: "They referred to Black people as monkeys or the 'watermelon people.' They called rape 'epic.' They talked about the love of Hitler."
Among the most disturbing revelations were messages from Peter Giunta, the then-chair of the New York State Young Republicans, who allegedly wrote, "Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber" and "Great, I love Hitler." Another member, Annie Kaykaty, responded to the gas chamber comment with, "I'm ready to watch people burn now." The group’s vice chair, Bobby Walker, was also implicated. Both Giunta and Walker have since apologized, though each suggested that some messages may have been altered or taken out of context. Giunta further claimed, "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," but also alleged the messages were "sourced by way of extortion" and part of a "highly-coordinated year-long character assassination." Walker echoed the sentiment, saying, "There is no excuse for the language and tone in messages attributed to me. The language is wrong and hurtful, and I sincerely apologize," while maintaining that some messages may have been manipulated.
The fallout was swift and severe. Several participants, all adults between 24 and 34 years old, lost jobs or political opportunities. Giunta was ousted from his position as chief of staff to state Assemblymember Mike Reilly, and Walker’s offer to manage a congressional campaign was pulled. The group’s social media presence was wiped clean almost immediately after the news broke. As WABC reported, "Several former leaders have already lost their jobs, and Friday's vote is seen as a step toward a fresh start."
Republican leaders at every level scrambled to distance themselves from the scandal. Nassau County Republican Chair Joseph Cairo condemned the group chat as "disgraceful, disgusting," and insisted, "They should be totally excluded from the Republican party because they do not represent what the principles or beliefs of our Republican Party are." Suffolk County Republican Committee Chair Jesse Garcia added, "This is, unfortunately, a case of a small band of immature individuals who do not speak for the Republican Party, and that's why the Republican party has denounced it with one voice, a large and loud chorus." New York GOP Chair Ed Cox was unequivocal: "The Young Republicans was already grossly mismanaged, and vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations." Cox also contrasted the Republican response with what he characterized as Democratic inaction: "Unlike the Democrat Party that embraces anti-Semitic rhetoric and refuses to condemn leaders who call for political violence, Republicans deliver accountability by immediately removing those who use this sort of rhetoric from the positions they hold."
High-profile Republican elected officials, including Rep. Mike Lawler and Rep. Elise Stefanik, quickly denounced the messages. Lawler wrote, "The deeply offensive and hateful comments reportedly made in a private chat among members of the New York State Young Republicans are disgusting. They should resign from any leadership position immediately and reflect on how far they have strayed from basic human respect and decency." Stefanik, after initially condemning the chat, later referred to the Politico report as a "hit job." The New York Young Republican Club, meanwhile, took pains to clarify it had no affiliation with the disbanded state organization.
Democrats, for their part, seized on the scandal. Nassau County Young Democrats President John Burns declared, "These young Republicans call themselves the future of the party. Well, if they're the future, the future is pretty dark." Democratic candidate Dave Karpen criticized what he saw as a slow response from Republican officials, stating, "There is zero excuse for lack of moral clarity." Governor Kathy Hochul, speaking earlier in the week, called for unequivocal condemnation: "This is not one person saying that they love Hitler. This is a whole lot of people saying things that are so disgusting, so abhorrent, that everybody from the president on down should condemn them." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer added, "Kick them out of the party. They include gas chamber jokes. How sick."
Yet, not all Republican voices joined the chorus of condemnation. Vice President J.D. Vance repeatedly downplayed the severity of the group chat’s contents, both in public statements and in appearances on conservative media. On October 15, 2025, he said, "We're not canceling kids because they do something stupid in a group chat." On "The Charlie Kirk Show," he elaborated, "They tell edgy, offensive jokes. Like, that's what kids do... I really don't want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke — telling a very offensive, stupid joke — is cause to ruin their lives." President Trump, too, did not issue a direct condemnation. This stance drew sharp criticism from Democratic opponents, with Seth Koslow, a Democratic candidate for Nassau County Executive, arguing, "JD Vance thinks it's a joke, and he blames Democrats for the violence in our communities. It starts at the top."
The repercussions of the New York scandal have rippled beyond state lines. Earlier in the same week, the Kansas Young Republicans chapter was also dissolved after two of its leaders were implicated in the same group chat, accused of using racial slurs and praising Hitler. Similar calls for accountability have been made in Arizona and Vermont, though responses have varied in severity.
For the New York State Republican Party, the decision to disband its Young Republicans chapter is more than a disciplinary measure—it’s an attempt to reclaim the party’s image and demonstrate that such hateful rhetoric will not be tolerated within its ranks. Whether this move succeeds in restoring public trust, or merely exposes deeper fissures within the party’s youth movement, remains to be seen.
