Republican lawmaker resigns under mounting pressure for role in racist group chat

Vermont State Sen. Samuel Douglass — the only public official who participated in a Young Republicans group chat that scandalized the party — resigned Friday night under what Politico termed "intense pressure."

Douglass, a Republican from northern Vermont, said in a written statement Friday that he’s resigning his post effective Monday.

"For all concerned, me, my wife, my family, I must resign. I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe. And if my Governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he’s trying to do for the state of Vermont.

Politico broke the story Tuesday about the group chat.

"The 2,900 pages of chats, shared among a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans between early January and mid-August, chronicle their campaign to seize control of the national Young Republican organization on a hardline pro-Donald Trump platform. Together, the messages reveal a culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely — and where the Trump-era loosening of political norms has made such talk feel less taboo among those positioning themselves as the party’s next leaders.

"Mixed into formal conversations about whipping votes, social media strategy and logistics, the members of the chat slung around an array of slurs — which POLITICO is republishing to show how they spoke. Epithets like 'f----t,' 'retarded' and 'n--ga' appeared more than 251 times combined."

Vermont Public reported today that "the group chat included one message in which Douglass mocked the bathing habits of people from India, and another exchange where his wife wrote of 'expecting the Jew to be honest.'”Douglass was the only elected official in the group chat, though four others worked for elected officials at the time the messages were being sent. Those officials include New York’s state senate minority leader and the Kansas attorney general. One member of the chat worked in President Donald Trump’s Small Business Administration.