A Vermont state senator has resigned after racist and antisemitic messages he posted in a Young Republicans group chat were made public. Samuel Douglass, 26, stepped down on Friday following the leak of the Telegram chat by Politico.
Douglass had been under pressure from Governor Phil Scott and state senate minority leader Scott Beck to resign. In one exchange, he replied to a message about a 'very obese Indian woman' by saying 'She just didn't bathe often.' He also commented on a Jewish person's procedural error, to which his wife Brianna responded with an antisemitic remark.
Other messages in the chat included slurs against gay men, Nebraskans, and Rhode Island members, as well as references to a 'fat stinky Jew' and jokes about gas chambers, torture, and rape. The chat also reflected infighting among Young Republicans.
In his resignation statement, Douglass said he was 'deeply sorry for the offence' caused and described his comment as an 'unflattering remark about a specific individual.' He cited threats of violence and the need to keep his family safe as reasons for stepping down. He and his wife have also resigned from their positions in the Vermont Young Republicans.
Governor Scott said there was 'simply no excuse' for the 'vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue.' Senator JD Vance downplayed the messages as 'edgy jokes' made by 'kids,' but Beck said Douglass's resignation was a first step in healing.
