Sen. Sam Douglass, R-Orleans, said he will resign after bigoted comments he and his wife made in a Young Republicans group chat were leaked this week.
In a long statement released Friday afternoon, the first-term state legislator apologized for the “offense” his comments caused and described hateful messages he’d received in recent days. At the bottom, he announced that he would resign effective Monday at noon.
“I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe,” he wrote.
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A Politico report Tuesday revealed remarks Young Republican leaders, including Douglass and his wife, Briana Douglass, made in a Telegram group chat.
Following Politico’s story, Vermont elected officials across the political spectrum quickly called for Douglass’ resignation, with Gov. Phil Scott, himself a Republican, leading the charge.
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 peer’s Jewish colleague potentially making a procedural mistake, Douglass’ wife, a Young Republicans committee member, responded, stating, “you’re giving nationals to (sic) much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest.”
The Politico exposé revealed members of the Young Republicans Telegram chat referring to rape as “epic” and expressing “love” for Hitler, in addition to a slew of other racist and homophobic comments.
After the news broke, Douglass did not respond to media inquiries but released a statement that denounced and condemned the comments in the Politico story and said he was still deciding what to do. He sought to distance himself from the group chat but did not apologize for his involvement, instead telling his constituents he regretted the unwanted attention the story had caused.
Despite the widespread calls for Douglass’ immediate resignation, including from other Republicans in the Northeast Kingdom, Vermont GOP Chair Paul Dame was a rare exception. Dame called the group chat “shocking and grotesque” but said Douglass’ comments were not bigoted or racist.
“If Sen. Douglass can not meet the minimum standard for informing the public about issues he is involved in, then I will also join the Governor and legislative colleagues in calling on him to resign,” he said in the press release.
Hours later, though, the executive committee of the state GOP issued its own press release retracting Dame’s statement.
“The Vermont Republican Party (“VTGOP”) Executive Committee stands united with Governor Phil Scott and the Republican Senate and House leadership and calls for the immediate resignation of Senator Sam Douglass,” they wrote in the press release. “The VTGOP Executive Committee condemns the hateful, racist, and antisemitic messages revealed in a national Young Republican group chat.”
In an interview this week Vice President J.D. Vance called the exposed messages stupid jokes made by “kids.”
