STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The New York State Republican Party has voted to suspend the operations of the New York State Young Republicans after members of the group, including several Staten Islanders, were alleged to have participated in a leaked text thread riddled with hate speech.
The text thread, exposed by Politico, included references to Hitler, gas chambers and discriminatory remarks targeting various groups.
“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,” New York GOP chair Ed Cox said in a statement following the vote.
In a letter to the National Federation of Young Republicans, Cox wrote: “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.”
As of Friday, the website of the New York State Young Republicans appears to have been taken down and a request for comment sent to the organization’s email was deemed undeliverable, indicating the account may have been disabled.
The Advance/SILive.com learned Tuesday that 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 stated: “I love Hitler,” and “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.”
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. A 2024 Instagram post lists her as club secretary.
Giunta’s alleged texts also referred to Black people as “the watermelon people,” and “monkeys.”
Giunta 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 comments shared in the group chat that have been reported are extremely troubling and disappointing. They do not align with my values. As a result, Mr. Giunta’s assignment in my office has ended,” said Reilly to the Advance/SILive.com on Tuesday.
Politico’s investigation revealed a broader pattern of troubling behavior within the group chat, which spanned seven months and included racist, antisemitic, misogynistic and homophobic remarks.
The messages reportedly praised slavery, discussed violent fantasies and used deeply offensive language.
On Wednesday, the Richmond County Republican Party condemned the alleged hate speech in the chat.
“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 said 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.
Meanwhile, local Democrats, led by Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Charles D. Fall, chair of the Staten Island Democratic Party, 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.”
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?”
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.