Homophobia, racism, and Nazis: The dark side of rising Republican leaders
Vice President J D Vance declared the messages were kids doing stupid things despite multiple of them being in their s Washington Blade photo by Michael Key The Young Republican National Federation YRNF an organization dedicated to politically organizing young conservatives and helping them win elected office across the United States is under fire after thousands of homophobic sexist racist anti-Semitic and violent Telegram messages from state-level group chats were leaked Politico reviewed nearly pages of messages exchanged between January and August by members of state chapters of the YRNF the youth wing of the Republican Party Various of those involved in the chats right now hold or have held positions in state governments across New York Kansas Arizona and Vermont Participants in the chats used racist ableist and homophobic slurs times according to Politico s analysis Faggots monkeys watermelon people and retards were just particular of the communicated language used Within the leaked messages at least six instances of explicitly homophobic language came from various of the youngest leaders in the Republican Party Much of this rhetoric targeted Hayden Padgett who not long ago won balloting as national chair of the Young Republicans Padgett s conquest came after a bitter contest with Peter Giunta the former chair of the New York State Young Republicans who led an insurgent faction within the group and has been quoted greater part frequently in coverage of the leak Giunta who was revealed to repeatedly say how much he loved Hitler in the group chat and used the N-word multiple times was reportedly angry over losing the August referendum He wrote messages such as Minnesota faggots referring to the state s Young Republican organization and So you mean Hayden faggot wrote the resolution himself Luke Mosiman chair of the Arizona Young Republicans responded with RAPE HAYDEN later joking about Spanish colonizers coming to America and having sex with every single woman Alex Dwyer chair of the Kansas Young Republicans replied Sex is gay Mosiman followed with Sex It was rape Bobby Walker former vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans and former communications director for New York state Sen Peter Oberacker made at least two homophobic comments including Stay in the closet faggot and in another message mocking Padgett Adolf Padgette is in the faggotbunker as we speak William Hendrix vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans and former communications assistant for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach was also a frequent participant posting numerous racist and homophobic remarks including Missouri doesn t like fags Joe Maligno who served as general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans announced Can we fix the showers Gas chambers don t fit the Hitler aesthetic There were multiple anti-Semitic dog whistles used the majority notably Dwyer s use of in the chat The references the words in the white supremacist slogan We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children while is shorthand for Heil Hitler with H being the eighth letter in the alphabet In response to the debate Vice President J D Vance downplayed the leak calling it an example of kids doing stupid things and telling edgy offensive jokes Everyone mentioned in the group chat is over the age of Peter Giunta is years old and Joe Maligno is The ages of the other participants were not specified but majority accounts indicate they are over This leak exposes how specific up-and-coming Republican leaders have normalized offensive and extreme rhetoric reflecting both the erosion of political and cultural sensitivity and the influence of Trump and his allies It also underscores the widening divide within the party between its traditional conservative wing and a far-right faction emboldened by such rhetoric The post Homophobia racism and Nazis The dark side of rising Republican leaders appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta
