By Guy Page and Paul Bean
Gov. Phil Scott and leaders of both the House and Senate Republican caucus are calling for Sen. Sam Douglass (R-Orleans) to resign following a Politico news report today of an apparent ethnic slur he made on a Young Republican Telegram account.
VDC has emailed Douglass, a first-term senator, for a response to this printed statement attributed to him, per the October 14 news report:
In one instance, Walker — who at the time was a staffer for Ortt — talked about how a mutual friend of some in the chat “dated this very obese Indian woman for a period of time.”
“Giunta responded that the woman “was not Indian.”
“She just didn’t bathe often,” Samuel Douglass, a state senator from northern Vermont and the head of the state’s Young Republicans, replied to Giunta.
Douglass’s comments might be perceived as relatively mild compared to other statements made by Young Republican leaders from other states and reported by Politico in the chat. One said “I love Hitler” and spoke approvingly of gas chambers. The N-word was used by others.
At 4:03 PM, Gov. Phil Scott’s press secretary sent this email:
Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement in response to leaked messages from leaders of a national Young Republican group chat: “The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable. The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it. Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party – including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.”
Ditto, said Sen. Scott Beck (R-Caledonia), Senate Minority Leader, in an email to VDC:
“We are in agreement with Gov. Phil Scott. Sen. Sam Douglass’ statements as reported by Politico are unacceptable and deeply disturbing. They cannot be excused and are inconsistent with Vermont values and what Vermont Republicans stand for. It is time for Sen. Douglass to step away from his position as a Vermont Senator and resign.” The note was signed Sen. Scott Beck Senate Republican Leader, Sen. Brian Collamore Senate Asst. Republican Leader, Rep. Pattie McCoy House Republican Leader, Rep. Casey Toof House Asst. Republican Leader.”
The Politico story also attributed an anti-semitic remark to Douglass’s wife.
The Vermont Young Democrats vilified the comments and echoed the GOP call for Douglass to resign.
“Vermont Young Republicans Chair, State Senator Sam Douglass, in a group chat with his peers, made deeply offensive and prejudiced comments, including derogatory stereotypes about Indigenous women and antisemitic remarks about his Jewish colleagues. These comments are disgraceful, and we call on Senator Douglass to resign and apologize for his actions immediately,” Communications Director Hudson Ranney saud. “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. The Vermont Young Democrats firmly believe that every citizen deserves representatives who respect and faithfully represent them, which Douglas has failed to do in this instance.”
If Douglass resigns, Gov. Scott will appoint a replacement, traditionally nominated by the GOP county committee, to complete his term.