{"id":1739,"date":"2025-10-16T05:29:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T05:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmgiveawayfinder.com\/?p=1739"},"modified":"2025-10-16T05:29:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T05:29:51","slug":"no-one-in-the-gop-hitler-chat-was-a-kid-mother-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmgiveawayfinder.com\/?p=1739","title":{"rendered":"No One in the GOP Hitler Chat Was a \u201cKid\u201d \u2013 Mother Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Vice President JD Vance has sought to downplay the racist texts circulated by young Republicans, as reported by Politico on Tuesday.<\/span>Gage Skidmore\/ZUMA<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Get your news from a source that\u2019s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily<\/em>.<\/a><\/div>\n

Vice President JD Vance <\/span>would like you to do anything but<\/em> pay attention to those abhorrent leaked texts from young Republicans that Politico<\/em> covered<\/a> on Tuesday. And if you do<\/em> read them, he wants you to think they\u2019re just \u201ckids\u201d saying \u201cedgy, offensive\u201d things. <\/p>\n

Except that they appear to be full-grown adults, according to Mother Jones<\/em>\u2019 analysis of public records and reports of the participants\u2019 ages.<\/p>\n

The messages, culled from thousands of private texts between 11 young GOP leaders<\/a> in four states, were exchanged between January and mid-August of this year, according to Politico<\/em>. The texts show the Republicans extensively using racist, antisemitic, and homophobic slurs, among other consistently bigoted insults. Here\u2019s a taste from the Politico<\/em> story:<\/p>\n

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William Hendrix, the\u00a0Kansas Young Republicans\u2019 vice chair<\/a>, used the words \u201cn\u2013ga\u201d and \u201cn\u2013guh,\u201d variations of a racial slur, more than a dozen times in the chat. Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, referred to rape as \u201cepic.\u201d Peter Giunta, who at the time was chair of the same organization, wrote in a message sent in June that \u201ceveryone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Since Politico<\/em>\u2019s story published, several prominent Republican politicians and organizations have condemned the messages. The National Young Republicans group said in a statement<\/a> that the language used was \u201cvile and inexcusable,\u201d adding, \u201csuch behavior is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents.\u201d The statement called for participants in the chat to resign from any leadership roles in GOP groups.<\/p>\n

Leaders of the state Republican parties in both New York and Kansas<\/a>, states that had participants represented in the chat, condemned the texts. So did Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who has been rumored to be running for governor and told Politico<\/em> she was \u201cappalled\u201d by the texts.<\/p>\n

Vance, though, had a different take. On an episode of \u201cThe Charlie Kirk Show<\/a>\u201d on Wednesday, Vance dismissed the messages as representing only the immaturity of \u201ckids,\u201d arguing that they were getting far too much attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy focusing on what kids are saying in a group chat\u2014grow up! I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Vance said. \u201cFocus on the real issues. Don\u2019t focus on what kids say in group chats.\u201d <\/p>\n

One problem with this defense? The people in the group chat aren\u2019t \u201ckids.\u201d By scanning public records and media reports, Mother Jones <\/em>determined the ages of eight of the 11 participants in the chat: They appear to range from 24 to 35. Ages for three other participants\u2014Bobby Walker, Michael Bartels, and Rachel Hope\u2014were not publicly available. Bartels declined to comment to Politico<\/em>, and the outlet could not reach Hope for comment. Walker told Politico<\/em> parts of the chat \u201cmay have been altered, taken out of context, or otherwise manipulated,\u201d adding, \u201cThe language is wrong and hurtful, and I sincerely apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spokespeople for the White House did not immediately respond to questions from Mother Jones<\/em> on Wednesday night, including about at what age Vance believes people are adults who should be held responsible for their actions.<\/p>\n

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Vance on public outrage over the “I love Hitler” group chat: “Grow up! Focus on the real issues. Don’t focus on what kids say in group chats\u2026\u200aThe reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys \u2014 they tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do.” pic.twitter.com\/POLAnldP2P<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) October 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans vice chair, and Luke Mosiman,\u00a0chair of the Arizona Young Republicans, were, at 24, the youngest participants in the chat whose ages Mother Jones<\/em> could determine through public reporting<\/a> and records. Politico<\/em> reported Hendrix used variations of a racial slur more than a dozen times in the chat. <\/p>\n

According to Kansas NPR affiliate KCUR, Hendrix lost his job as communications assistant for Kansas\u2019 Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach after Politico<\/em> reporters asked his boss, who is also the state GOP chair, about the texts. Hendrix did not respond to Politico<\/em>\u2019s requests for comment. The Kansas GOP said<\/a> it was \u201cdisgusted\u201d by the comments and that they do not reflect the views of Kansas Republicans, who, it emphasized, \u201celected a black chair a few months ago.\u201d The Kansas Young Republicans reportedly<\/a> became \u201cinactive\u201d after the messages were published.<\/p>\n

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Hitlergate wasn\u2019t about kids, and Vance knows it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

In the chat, Mosiman called for the rape of a rival young Republican leader, and at another point said, \u201cThe Spanish came to America and had sex with every single woman.\u201d He declined to comment to Politico<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The oldest appears to be Joe Maligno, who public records suggest is 35. In the chat, he spoke about gas chambers and used a racial slur toward Chinese people. Maligno previously identified himself as general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans. Maligno did not respond to requests for comment from Politico<\/em>. According to<\/a> a Wednesday follow-up report from the outlet, he lost his job as an employee of the New York State Unified Court System.<\/p>\n

A handful of other participants seem to fall in the middle of that age range. According to public records, Annie Kaykaty, New York\u2019s national committee member who, in response to Maligno\u2019s comment about gas chambers, said, \u201cI\u2019m ready to watch people burn now,\u201d is 28. Alex Dwyer, chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, who wrote a series of numbers used by white supremacists and wrote, \u201cSex is gay,\u201d is 29; Peter Giunta, former chair of the New York State Young Republicans, who referred to Black people as \u201cwatermelon people\u201d and \u201cmonkeys\u201d and said, at another point, \u201cI love Hitler,\u201d is 31.<\/p>\n

Chat member and supposed \u201ckid\u201d Samuel Douglass is a 27-year-old state senator<\/a> in Vermont, according to reports. In the group chat, he claimed a woman a mutual friend was dating, who some presumed was Indian, \u201cdidn\u2019t bathe often.\u201d Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott has called on Douglass to resign; Douglass has apologized<\/a> but has not yet said whether he would resign.<\/p>\n

Kaykaty and Dwyer declined to comment to Politico<\/em>. Giunta apologized<\/a> for the messages in a statement but claimed they were part of a \u201chighly-coordinated year-long character assassination\u201d effort by fellow New York politicos. According to Politico<\/em>\u2019s follow-up story, Giunta lost his job working for New York Assemblymember Mike Reilly. Politico<\/em> characterized Giunta as \u201cthe most prominent voice in the chat spreading racist messages\u2014often encouraged or \u201cliked\u201d by other members.<\/p>\n

Vance\u2019s defense did not stop at suggesting the participants were too young to take responsibility for their actions. He also implied they should not have to, casting members of the chat as unfairly victimized. Instead of saying he planned to warn his children not to use such vile language, for example, Vance said he would tell his three kids\u2014\u201cespecially my boys\u201d\u2014\u201cdon\u2019t put things on the internet. Be careful with what you post. If you put something in a group chat, assume that some scumbag is going to leak it in an effort to try to cause you harm or cause your family harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys\u2014they tell edgy, offensive jokes,\u201d Vance continued. \u201cThat\u2019s what kids do. And I really don\u2019t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke\u2014telling a very offensive stupid joke\u2014is cause to ruin their lives. And at some point we\u2019re all going to have to say, \u2018Enough of this BS. We\u2019re not going to allow the worst moment in a 21-year-old\u2019s group chat to ruin a kid\u2019s life for the rest of time.’\u201d<\/p>\n

This is particularly <\/strong>rich coming from one of the top officials representing a party that just mounted a mass cancellation campaign<\/a> to push for the firing and punishment of anyone who its devotees felt insufficiently mourned assassinated MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tl;dr: Hitlergate wasn\u2019t about kids, and JD Vance knows it\u2014or should now.<\/p>\n

Update, Oct. 15: This post was updated to clarify that Vance made his comments on \u201cThe Charlie Kirk Show,\u201d which streams on the right-wing cable and streaming channel Real America\u2019s Voice. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n