1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I’m disgusted by Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent comments minimizing the Young Republican leaders who were exposed last week for sharing racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic slurs in their group chats. These were not kids making edgy jokes. They were adults, including political staffers and policy aides, whose messages glorified Hitler and mocked rape and the Holocaust. Downplaying this behavior as “boys being boys” sends a dangerous message that hate speech and extremism are acceptable in public life. It erodes public trust and undermines the moral standards that should guide anyone serving in or around government. Please use your voice and your role as Ranking Member on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to draw a clear line against this kind of rhetoric. Congress should reaffirm that hate speech and discrimination have no place in public institutions and that leaders who excuse or minimize such behavior are unfit for positions of power or trust. Thank you for your integrity and for representing Michigan with decency and conscience.