Leaked Messages Spur GOP Firings; Dems Still Back VA AG Hopeful [WATCH]

A leak of thousands of private messages attributed to leaders in several Young Republican organizations has prompted resignations, job dismissals, and a national statement from the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF), while a separate controversy over 2022 text messages by Virginia attorney general nominee Jay Jones continues to draw bipartisan condemnation.

POLITICO reported this week that it reviewed roughly 2,900 pages of messages from a private Telegram chat spanning January through mid-August and involving Young Republican figures in New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont.

The outlet said the messages included racist, antisemitic, and violent rhetoric and references to white supremacist slogans.

Subsequent coverage detailed consequences for several participants, including job losses and calls to step down from party roles.

In a statement reported by Newsweek, the YRNF board said it was “appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed in the Politico article.”

The statement added: “Such behavior is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents. Those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organizations.”

Newsweek also published a list of nine individuals named in the reporting and summarized additional responses from Republican officials.

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The fallout has included personnel changes and organizational steps at the state level. POLITICO and local outlets reported that New York figures Peter Giunta and Joseph Maligno were no longer in their positions, while Kansas Young Republicans activity was halted following the disclosures.

The Kansas Reflector described actions taken after the messages became public and detailed the involvement of state-level officers.

A Forbes summary on Wednesday likewise reported multiple job separations tied to the controversy.

Newsweek’s report quoted examples from the leaked chat logs that POLITICO reviewed.

In one exchange, a participant wrote “Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber,” followed by a back-and-forth about “true believers.”

In another, a separate participant described rape as “Epic.”

Newsweek reported that one state leader referenced “1488,” and published additional messages attributed to individuals in the chat, along with on-record responses or apologies where available.

In New York, state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said he was “shocked and disgusted,” and a senior adviser to Rep. Elise Stefanik said that if POLITICO’s description was accurate, “Congresswoman Stefanik calls for any NY Young Republicans responsible for these horrific comments in this chat to step down immediately.”

The White House, through spokesperson Liz Huston, issued a statement rejecting attempts to link President Donald Trump to the private group chat, saying: “Only an activist, left-wing reporter would desperately try to tie President Trump into a story about a random group chat he has no affiliation with… No one has been subjected to more vicious rhetoric and violence than President Trump and his supporters.”

Separately, the Virginia attorney general race has been shaped by text messages from 2022 attributed to Democrat Jay Jones.

We are appalled by these vile and hateful text messages. Jay Jones must drop out of the AG race immediately.

The left has gotten too comfortable calling for violence against conservatives. Enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/j3wd9DdAoY

— Young Republicans of Texas (@YRsOfTexas) October 15, 2025

The Washington Post reported that Jones, then a former delegate, described a hypothetical scenario involving “two bullets to the head” of the Republican House speaker and used language about opponents’ children.

Virginia-based outlets have reported continuing political reaction and calls for Jones to exit the race, while other Democrats have publicly criticized the texts.

The Virginia Mercury has covered how the disclosures remain a central campaign issue ahead of debates and voter decisions this fall.

The two developments have unfolded in parallel: one centered on internal party discipline among Young Republican groups following publication of private chat logs, and the other centered on the Virginia contest after earlier text messages surfaced involving a statewide nominee.

In the youth-organization matter, the YRNF’s national statement called for implicated members to “immediately resign,” and Republican officials in multiple states issued condemnations.

In Virginia, media reports have described criticism from both parties and continued scrutiny of Jones’s candidacy stemming from the 2022 messages.

As of Wednesday, the YRNF statement remained in effect as state organizations and individual participants weighed next steps, and campaigns in Virginia continued to respond to questions about the 2022 texts ahead of November’s vote.

WATCH: @benfergusonshow exposes the Democrat’s double standard for defending murder fantasizer Jay Jones while attacking Young Republicans for their racist group chat:

“I don’t think they should work in the Republican Party. I don’t think they should be involved in the… pic.twitter.com/y2Rqk9BHAk

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 15, 2025