1. United States
2. Letter

I’m disturbed by your comments minimizing the Young Republican leaders who were exposed on October 14 for sharing racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic slurs in their group chats. These were not kids making jokes. They were adults, including government and policy staffers, whose messages glorified Hitler and mocked rape and the Holocaust. Calling this behavior “edgy” or “boys being boys” sends a dangerous message that hate speech and extremism are acceptable in public life. That is not the standard our country or your office should represent. You have the influence to make it clear that such rhetoric has no place in any political movement. I urge you to retract and correct your statement and to condemn hate speech in all forms. Good leadership includes having the courage to say when something is wrong.