JD Vance Says Stop ‘Pearl Clutching’ over Racist Republican Group Chat

Vice President JD Vance is dismissing concerns over the reports of violent, hateful and anti-Semitic messages allegedly sent between members of the Young Republican National Federation as “pearl clutching.”

On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Politico released a report detailing thousands of private messages reportedly sent between members of the right-wing group on the online chat platform Telegram. The messages included references to Black people as monkeys and “watermelon people” as well as jokes about the Holocaust, rape, suicide and more.

In response to the report, Vance shared a screenshot of a message from Jay Jones, a lawyer and Democrat who is currently running for attorney general in Virginia. Jones has made headlines in recent days for a text exchange shared with his former state legislative colleague, Republican House Delegate Carrie Coyner.

In the exchange, Jones appeared to call for violence against then-Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert, his wife, Jennifer, and their children. Coyner replied by saying she was uncomfortable with Jones “talking about [hoping] Jennifer Gilbert’s children would die.”

“Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy,” Jones replied.

Sharing the screenshot, Vance wrote, “This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia. I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”

In an appearance on The Charlie Kirk Show on Oct. 15, Vance doubled down, saying, “The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys.”

Vance continued. “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do. And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke — telling a very offensive, stupid joke — is cause to ruin their lives.”

The texts unearthed by Politico were allegedly sent between members of Young Republican National Federation chapters in New York, Arizona, Kansas, and Vermont. The Young Republican National Federation describes itself as “the oldest political youth organization in the United States,” and the “premier Republican youth organization.”

The Young Republican National Federation currently operates chapters in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Members of the organization are between 18 and 40 years old, and some currently hold positions in state government.

Politico identified multiple members of the group chat by name, including Peter Giunta, the former chair of New York State Young Republicans, and Bobby Walker, the group’s vice-chair. In the messages, Walker allegedly described rape as “epic,” and Giunta allegedly made a crude reference to “gas chambers.”

In a statement to Politico, Giunta claimed that the Telegram messages were “sourced by way of extortion.” He also apologized for the “insensitive and inexcusable language” in the messages, but shared that he was “deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored.”

Giunta was fired from his job as chief of staff for Assembly member Mike Reilly in the aftermath of the Politico report, according to SILive.

“The comments shared in the group chat that have been reported are extremely troubling and disappointing,” Reilly told the outlet. “They do not align with my values. As a result, Mr. Giunta’s assignment in my office has ended.”

Walker also apologized, but told Politico he believes parts of the chat “may have been altered, taken out of context, or otherwise manipulated” and that the “private exchanges were obtained and released in a way clearly intended to inflict harm.”

“There is no excuse for the language and tone in messages attributed to me. The language is wrong and hurtful, and I sincerely apologize,” Walker, who leads the New York State Young Republicans, told Politico. “This has been a painful lesson about judgment and trust, and I am committed to moving forward with greater care, respect, and accountability in everything I say and do.”

The Young Republican National Federation’s board of directors condemned the leaked messages in a statement on its Facebook page.

“We are appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed in the Politico article published today,” the statement reads. “Such behavior is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents.”

In the statement, the board demanded that “those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organizations.”

“We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, respect, and professionalism,” the statement concluded.

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Vance’s dismissal of the texts came just hours after Trump’s State Department announced that it was revoking the visas of six people for their social media comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The six people — none of whom were named — are from Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Paraguay, the department said in a series of X posts. One posted that they did not “give a f—” about Kirk’s death, while another wrote the Turning Point USA founder “died being a racist, he died being a misogynist.”

The State Department’s posts read in part, “The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans. The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”