Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday that Republicans “roundly condemn” the group chat among Young Republican officials that contained racist, antisemitic and homophobic comments, as well as an American flag with a swastika that was pictured behind an aide in a GOP congressman’s office.
Asked if he is worried about any extremist or pro-Hitler sentiments among the party’s young Republicans, Johnson said: “No.”
“Look, obviously, we roundly condemn any of that nonsense,” Johnson said.
His comments come after an explosive report from Politico revealed a group chat in which officials in the Young Republicans organization, made for adults up to age 40, expressed pro-Hitler and racist sentiments. The group chat included GOP operatives and one Vermont state senator.
“Obviously, that is not the principles of the Republican Party. We stand for the founding principles of America,” Johnson said. “You want me to articulate them for you right now? Individual freedom, limited government, rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, human dignity, the things that lead to human flourishing.”
“We have stood against that. We fought the Nazis. We defended that evil ideology. We roundly condemn it, and anybody in any party who espouses it, we’re opposing that,” Johnson said.
Some Democratic and left-wing commenters highlighted Johnson’s apparent misspeak about defending the ideology.
Johnson also addressed a photo of him next to at least one of the members in a group chat that circulated on social media.
“Obviously, I think it was at the inauguration, and people were just coming up and asking for selfies, a thousand of them, I don’t know. I never heard of that person in my life,” Johnson said.
“But whoever these young people are, and whatever they’re saying, if it’s true, we obviously condemn that, and the organizations involved are dealing with that. That’s my understanding,” Johnson said.
The Young Republican National Federation on Tuesday called for immediate resignations of those involved in the leaked group chat.
Then on Wednesday, news broke of an aide for Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) being pictured in a videoconference call with an American flag with red stripes altered to form a swastika posted in a cubicle in the background. Taylor called the image “vile and deeply inappropriate” and said Capitol Police are investigating the matter.
“There’s a proper investigation ongoing, and the congressman did exactly what he should have done,” Johnson said of the incident. “I can’t comment on it any further until that’s done.”
Jonson took a notably different tone in addressing the chat than Vice President Vance, who dismissed “pearl clutching” over the leaked messages.
“The reality is that kids do stupid things. Especially young boys, they tell edgy, offensive jokes. Like, that’s what kids do,” Vance said in an interview on “The Charlie Kirk Show” on Wednesday. “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.”
