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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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A university in South Florida said it is investigating reports regarding a group chat containing "abhorrent and extremely disturbing language."
The group chat containing students and several top conservative leaders at Florida International University (FIU) featured racist slurs, antisemitic comments and misogynistic language, according to the Miami Herald, which viewed and independently verified the conversations.
FIU President Jeanette Nunez, a former Florida lieutenant governor and Republican state lawmaker, said university police is investigating in coordination with local, state and federal law enforcement.
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“FIU does not and will not tolerate violence, hate, discrimination, harassment, racism or antisemitism,” Nunez said. “This is not who we are. This is not what FIU stands for.”
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She added that the university takes the allegations "very seriously." The FIU Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity are also investigating the matter.
The chat was allegedly started by an official with the Miami-Dade chapter of the Republican Party.
The Republican Party of Florida said in a statement that it was undertaking “an internal review of this situation” and condemned “the repugnant comments,” saying that they were “completely contrary” to what the organization represents.
Why It Matters
Participants used variations of a racial slur more than 400 times in the chat, which was interspersed with discussions about events promoting the Republican Party at FIU, the Miami Herald reported.
The chat included some of the campus’s top conservative leaders, including the county GOP secretary, FIU’s Turning Point USA chapter president, and the former College Republicans recruitment chair, according to the outlet.
Last year, the public release of another Republican-linked group chat containing racist language made headlines. Politico obtained months of exchanges from a Telegram conversation between leaders and members of theYoung Republican National Federation and some of its affiliates in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont. The political organization consists of Republicans between 18 and 40.
What To Know
Members of the chat referred to women as "w*****," used slurs to talk about Jewish and gay people and called for acts of violence against Black people, the Miami Herald reported. The outlet said it obtained two-and-a-half weeks of chat logs between September and October.
In response to questions about the group chats, Miami-Dade County Republican Party Chairman Kevin Cooper said “anyone associated with this chat should resign immediately,” according to the outlet.
“I am shocked and appalled at these statements. Racism and antisemitism have no place in the Republican Party. I am proud to be the first Jewish chairman of the Miami Dade Republican Party, which is comprised of a diverse group of members from every race and background,” Cooper said in comments reported by the outlet.
An official with the Republican Jewish Coalition said that it echoed the condemnation of the chat by Florida GOP officials.
“Antisemitism and bigotry have no place in the Republican Party,” Sam Markstein, a spokesman for the coalition, said.
What People Are Saying
Florida GOP, on X: "The Republican Party of Florida consistently stands against racism, antisemitism and bigotry in all its hateful forms of expression. RPOF has been made aware of repugnant comments made by a few individuals in a group chat that are completely contrary to everything the Republican Party of Florida stands for and represents."
Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, on X: "This is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. I’m glad that RPOF is launching an investigation and expect anyone who engaged in this horrible behavior to be held accountable. Racists and antisemites are not welcome in the Republican Party."
What Happens Next
The reported group chat remains under investigation. Nunez asked anyone with information related to these allegations to report it to report.fiu.edu or call 844-234-7742.
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