Leaked Texts Spark Outrage Among Young Republicans on Staten Island and Kansas

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Assemblymember Mike Reilly has terminated his chief of staff, Peter Giunta, following the release of controversial text messages among a group of young Republican leaders.

The texts, which surfaced amid Giunta’s candidacy for chair of the Young Republican National Federation, include alarming statements such as “I love Hitler” and “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.” The federation claims to represent 15,000 members ages 18 to 40. Another Staten Island figure, Joe Maligno, reportedly participated in the chat and made similar comments.

Reilly expressed his dismay over the leaked messages, stating, “The comments shared in the group chat that have been reported are extremely troubling and disappointing. They do not align with my values.” He confirmed that Giunta’s role in his office has ended as a result of the statements.

Giunta issued a statement acknowledging the offensive language but claimed he could not verify the accuracy of the messages. He suggested that a coordinated effort was underway to discredit him, describing it as a “highly-coordinated year-long character assassination.”

In Kansas, similar issues arose when leaked messages from young Republican leaders led to the suspension of the Kansas Young Republicans organization. The messages included racist and antisemitic remarks made by leaders Alex Dwyer and William Hendrix, triggering condemnation from state GOP leaders.

Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas GOP, expressed her disgust, stating, “Their comments do not reflect the beliefs of Republicans.” As a result, both Dwyer and Hendrix have faced professional consequences following the revelation of their remarks.

The Young Republicans National Federation board has called for the resignation of everyone involved in the group chats, emphasizing that such behavior does not represent their organization’s values. Michael Austin, head of the Kansas Black Republican Council, joined in the criticism, urging all Republicans to uphold a standard of integrity.

As of now, Giunta remains under scrutiny, and tensions within the Republican circles continue to escalate as the fallout from these messages unfolds.