Leaked chats reveal racist and violent rhetoric by Young Republicans

Leaked private Telegram messages from leaders of Young Republican groups across several states show repeated racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric, including praise for Adolf Hitler and suggestions of putting political opponents in gas chambers, according to the chat logs released this week. The exchanges, which span roughly 2,900 pages and cover conversations from January through mid-August, involve leaders and officers from Young Republican organizations in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont.

The messages include explicit racial slurs, repeated use of a variation of the n-word by one participant, derogatory references to Black people and other minorities, and posts celebrating or joking about sexual assault and suicide. In one exchange, a participant identified as Peter Giunta wrote, "Everyone who votes no is going to the gas chamber," and later wrote, "I love Hitler." Another participant, identified as Joe Maligno, replied, "Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers dont fit the Hitler aesthetic." A New York national committee member, Annie Kaykaty, was recorded as writing, "Im ready to watch people burn now." The chats also contain comments mocking Asian and Latino people...