STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Charles D. Fall, chair of the Staten Island Democratic Party, stood before the headquarters of the Staten Island Republican Party in New Dorp on Wednesday, flanked by candidates running for political office on Staten Island. There, Fall denounced the alleged comments made in a text thread among young GOP leaders, including at least three Staten Islanders.
The text thread, exposed by Politico, included references to Hitler, gas chambers, and discriminatory remarks targeting various groups.
“This is all offensive, insulting and disgusting and it has absolutely no room here on Staten Island or in our country,” Fall said after reading examples of some of the alleged texts. “It’s un-American, doesn’t represent who we are as Staten Islanders and the Republican Party of Staten Island ought to be ashamed of these actions, because the fruit does not fall too far from the tree.”
In addition to condemning the language from the alleged chat, Fall called for the Staten Island Republican Party to conduct a full internal investigation “on what else is happening inside because clearly there’s something going on that’s bigger.”
Michael Colombo, president of the South Shore democratic club and democratic candidate for borough president, speaks outside Staten Island Republican Party headquarters in New Dorp on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
Moreover, Fall is urging law enforcement to conduct an investigation into this alleged text chat in order to see if there is a link between these messages and “the recent vandalism of City Council and judicial candidates’ campaign signs, which were defaced with antisemitic symbols and hateful language.”
“There was one (case of antisemitism) against the two Republican judicial candidates and there was one a few months ago that was geared toward a City Council candidate,” added Fall. “Alright? And so we want to encourage our partners in law enforcement to dig a little deeper, because when you’re saying antisemitic rhetoric in text-message chains, where else are you saying it? What kind of actions are you carrying out?” said Fall.
Joining Fall in condemning the alleged texts were a number of local candidates, including: Michael Colombo, president of the South Shore Democratic Club and Democratic candidate for borough president; Troy McGhie, a Democrat running for New York’s 11th Congressional District; and Radhakrishna Mohan, candidate for New York City Council District 50.
Troy McGhie, a Democrat running for New York’s 11th Congressional District, speaks outside Staten Island Republican Party headquarters in New Dorp on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
“No longer can we stand for antisemitic vitriol, no longer can we stand for racist vitriol,” McGhie said. “This is a sad day for Staten Island, it’s a sad day for Staten Island politics, it’s a sad day for Staten Island constituents. The Republican Party has to either stand on the side of making things better, or we know where they stand.”
The response following the Politico report
In the wake of the Politico report, Assemblymember Mike Reilly fired his chief of staff, Peter Giunta, due to alleged comments he made in the text thread.
When Giunta was a candidate for chair of the Young Republican National Federation, troubling messages were reportedly exchanged during his campaign.
In the text chat, Giunta allegedly said: “I love Hitler,” and “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.”
Peter Giunta speaks at the Community Board 3 meeting held at the Stolzenthaler Knights of Columbus regarding a truck terminal proposal on Sept. 10, 2025.Photo by Steve White
And it appears there were two more Staten Islanders involved in the text chat.
Joe Maligno, who is a Staten Islander and vice president of the Staten Island Young Republicans Club, allegedly replied to the thread about the showers and Hitler. Politico reported that Maligno previously worked for Staten Island Judge Mary A. Kavanagh, but was no longer employed in Richmond County Civil Court.
In addition, Anne KayKaty, who allegedly participated in the chat, was the Staten Island Young Republicans Club’s former events committee chairperson, according to a 2021 post on the club’s Instagram.
Giunta’s alleged texts also referred to Black people as “the watermelon people,” and “monkeys.”
Giunta has issued a public apology, expressing regret for the offensive language and claiming the messages may have been doctored. He also alleged that he was the target of a coordinated smear campaign by members of the New York City Young Republican Club, involving AI-generated content.
“The Richmond County Republican Party is appalled and unequivocally condemns the vile, hateful rhetoric recently reported by Politico. It is shocking and incredibly disappointing that this disgusting discourse could have been happening,” said Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, Richmond County Republican Party chairperson.
“The alleged comments are a moral disgrace. As I have said many times, hate has no place anywhere, especially in our borough and in our party. This type of behavior will not be tolerated,” he added.
Tannousis noted that the Republicans involved in the chat have been terminated from their positions by their respective employers. “Their views do not represent the values of our Republican Party or the residents of our community,” he said.
Fall criticized the Republican Party of Staten Island for the time it took to publicly condemn the alleged texts, slamming the party for what he called a “pathetic and weak” statement.
“Anytime there’s any level of hate, regardless if it’s within our party, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, it’s never acceptable, and we, as a party of Staten Island – Democratic Party on Staten Island – we completely denounce any hate across the board: here, nationwide and across the world,” Fall told the Advance/SILive.com.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.