Leaked Young Republican chats include hundreds of racist, homophobic slurs

Months of private Telegram conversations between young Republican leaders in several states reveal a striking culture of racist and fascist strategies, according to an exclusive investigation by Politician.

More than 2,900 pages of Telegram chats obtained by the publication show repeated use of violent, anti-Black and anti-Semitic terminology, including the phrase “I love Hitler.” Participants in the group chat praised brutal sexual violence and repeatedly used racist, ableist and sexist slurs. Some evoked Holocaust imagery when discussing political opponents and casually used white supremacist dog whistles. Many of them repeated the talking points of conservative leaders, including Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk.

Leaders implicated in the leak include Kansas Young Republicans Vice Chairman William Hendricks and New York State Young Republicans leaders Bobby Hendricks and Peter Giunta, as well as one Trump administration official, Michael Bartels. Ginta said in a statement that the leaks were part of a targeted assassination, but did not categorically deny its contents. Other Young Republican leaders condemned the conversation, and the White House denied any connection to the Young Republican splinter group. Overall, the group is part of a new wave of GOP activists, many of whom are leading the fight to return President Donald Trump to power in 2025.

The Trump administration and its vocal Republican allies have not refrained from using social media for their own ends. increasingly controversial waysincluding sharing racist and xenophobic posts, applauding anti-LGBTQ actions, and directly harassing individual dissenters. Group chats overall have presented a different set of challenges for conservative leaders, including controversial Signal open chats between the nation's top defense officials, Vice President J.D. Vance and the magazine's editor-in-chief Atlantic. Behind the scenes – strong Signal conversation network The relationship between private sector leaders and political operatives formed the basis of Trump's re-election campaign and the rapid shift in political support documented in Semaphore's massive investigation.

Last week, leaked Signal messages between top White House advisers revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was is considering deploying the US Army's 82nd Airborne Infantry Division. to Portland, now a hot spot for Trump's crackdown on so-called ANTIFA organizers. First reported Minnesota Star Tribunechats show Trump administration still relying on a third party encrypted messaging platform discuss sensitive government operations—despite ongoing privacy (and reputational) concerns.