Gov. Phil Scott called for state Sen. Sam Douglass to resign on Tuesday after reporting by Politico revealed remarks he made in a leaked national Young Republicans group chat. Scott, a Republican, said the comments in the group chat — which reportedly included derogatory language and slurs — were “disgusting and unacceptable.”
Republican leaders of both chambers of the Vermont Legislature also echoed Scott’s statement, calling the comments “unacceptable and deeply disturbing.” The statement signed by Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, and House Minority Leader Rep. Pattie McCoy, R-Poultney, and the two assistant leaders, Sen. Brian Collamore, R-Rutland, and Rep. Casey Toof, R-St. Albans Town, concluded saying, “It is time for Sen. Douglass to step away from his position as a Vermont Senator and resign.”
In a June exchange between former New York State Young Republicans co-chair Bobby Walker and chair Peter Giunta, Walker mentioned a mutual friend who had dated an “obese Indian woman,” according to the report. Giunta replied that the woman was not Indian, to which Douglass responded: “She just didn’t bathe often.”
After Douglass made a comment about a Jewish colleague potentially making a procedural mistake, his wife and national Young Republicans committee member Brianna Douglass responded, stating, “you’re giving nationals to (sic) much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest.”
Samuel and Brianna Douglass did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Following the release of the chats, Vermont political leaders on both sides of the aisle have swiftly moved to denounce Douglass’ remarks and call for his resignation.
“The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing,” Scott wrote in a Tuesday statement. “Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party — including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.”
The Republican legislative leaders also wrote that the remarks reported by Politico “cannot be excused and are inconsistent with Vermont values and what Vermont Republicans stand for.”
Lt. Gov. John Rodgers said Tuesday that the reported language used by Douglass and other Young Republicans members was disturbing, and “would lead any decent person to either call them out or at least leave the chat.” Rodgers said Douglass’ resignation would be a good start to address the situation.
“It is unfortunate that national politics seems to have normalized this type of aggressive discourse,” Rodgers said. “It’s not OK — coming from either party, coming from any person — and we need to figure out how to get past it and get back to dialogue.”
Democrats and advocates add their voices
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, echoed the call for Douglass to resign in a statement. Baruth wrote that the reported racist and antisemitic comments from Samuel Douglass and Young Republicans group leaders is reflective of the “ugliness and the hateful bigotry of Trumpism.”
“It’s also critical to note that a single resignation will not eliminate the disturbing rhetoric permeating this country,” Baruth wrote. “The Vermont GOP must address and reject the largely covert network of hatred that binds them to racist and white nationalist elements nationwide.”
Hudson Ranney, communications director for the Vermont Young Democrats, said the group would also like to see Douglass step down and apologize for the “deeply offensive and prejudiced comments, including derogatory stereotypes about Indian women and antisemitic remarks about his Jewish colleagues.”
Ranney wrote that every citizen deserves respect from their representatives, which Douglass failed to uphold.
“Baseless hatred is not a problem for others to deal with. As this incident shows, bigotry is inside our own house. It is a stain that we all must confront,” Ranney wrote.
The Vermont Young Republicans Vice Chair and Deputy Vice Chair did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, wrote in a statement Tuesday that Douglass owes an explanation and more to his constituents and questioned whether Douglass could be trusted to serve in public office.
“To know that an elected official from Vermont took part in this long-running chat that included the repeated use of incredibly violent, racist, and antisemitic rhetoric is sickening,” Burns wrote.
Mia Schultz, a commissioner of the Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Rutland Area NAACP president, said the state needs leaders not to perpetuate prejudice but instead display integrity, empathy and accountability, even in close circles.
“It’s a moment to remember that racism and antisemitism are not relics of the past,” Schultz said. “They’re living in our reality right now, and they appear in whispers and jokes and these digital faces as we find time and time again. And the harm is real, and it’s the responsibility of all of us to confront it, that includes the people in power.”
Clarification: Hudson Ranney’s comments have been updated to clarify the woman’s nationality.
