New York GOP suspends state Young Republicans chapter over 'vile' group chat messages

Officials in the New York Republican Party on Friday voted to suspend the state Young Republicans chapter following a Politico report that detailed racist and antisemitic messages sent between a group of young Republican leaders across the country

Officials in the New York Republican Party on Friday voted to suspend the state Young Republicans chapter following a Politico report that detailed racist and antisemitic messages sent between a group of young Republican leaders across the country.

In a statement following the New York state GOP’s decision, party chair Ed Cox said that the New York State Young Republicans were “already grossly mismanaged” and that the “vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations.”

NBC News has not independently verified the contents of the group text thread, but Politico reported that the messages in the chat included racial slurs about Black and Latino people, praise for Adolf Hitler and jokes about sending political opponents to gas chambers.

NBC News reached out to the New York State Young Republicans for comment.

Three members of the New York State Young Republicans were identified in the Politico report as being involved in the chat — the group’s chair, Peter Giunta; the group’s vice chair, Bobby Walker; and Joe Maligno, who was once identified as the group’s general counsel.