The New York GOP voted Friday to disband the state’s Young Republicans chapter after inflammatory texts involving its vice-chair and chair came out.
Peter Giunta, the former chairman of the New York State Young Republicans, wrote in a text group chat that he “loves Hitler,” and said anyone who voted “no” for him to chair the Young Republican National Federation should “go to the gas chamber.”
Another member, a former general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, Joe Maligno, asked if they could “fix the showers.”
“Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic,” he added.
The comments earned wide condemnation, including from the state party and potential New York gubernatorial candidate Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
“Today, the Executive Committee of the New York Republican State Committee unanimously voted to suspend authorization of the New York State Young Republicans following a report of a group chat that included racist and antisemitic language on the part of leadership,” state party chairman Ed Cox said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
Cox also accused the organization of being “grossly mismanaged.”
“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,” he said before accusing Democrats of allowing antisemitic rhetoric within their party.
He also slammed Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) for failing “to deliver any accountability or condemn Democrats who wish death on their opponents’ children, are openly anti-Semitic, or support Hamas terrorists and associate and campaign with those who say America deserved 9/11. Not only did Kathy Hochul not condemn such behavior, she endorses racist and anti-Semitic candidates for elected office.”
In a letter to Hayden Padgett, the chairman of the National Federation of Young Republicans, Cox informed him that the New York Young Republicans would be disbanded. He left the door open for the group to resume activities in the future, but it’s unknown when that will be.
“Moving forward the New York State Young Republicans shall be suspended and it is the hope of
the New York Republican State Committee that it can be reconstituted at a later date,” he wrote.
The New York State Young Republicans website remains on Google but redirects users back to Google when clicked, indicating it may have been taken down.
Other members of the Young Republicans also made comments in the text chat, including William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans’ vice chair. The Kansas Young Republicans have since been disbanded as well.
HOCHUL FIRES AT STEFANIK OVER NEW YORK YOUNG REPUBLICANS LEAKED TEXTS
Hochul’s campaign previously used the Young Republicans scandal to slam Stefanik, who once called Young Republicans the “backbone of our party.”
“These are her people who said ‘I love Hitler’ and named her their congresswoman of the year – an award she still hasn’t returned. Stefanik’s silence tells New Yorkers where she stands and who she stands with,” Hochul Communications Director Sarafina Chitika said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.