New York Young Republicans Sue Former Press Chief After Feud Over Nick Fuentes Gala Attendance Boils Over

The New York Young Republicans Club has filed a defamation lawsuit against its former press committee chairman, Lucian Wintrich, in a legal battle that highlights deepening divisions within the Republican Party over extremist figures.The complaint, filed in New York Supreme Court, claims that the 37-year-old social media personality went on a “revenge” tour against the club after he was removed from his post amid a falling out over the group’s refusal to allow “certain media personalities” — including an avowed antisemite, Nick Fuentes — to attend its annual gala in December.The club alleges that Mr. Wintrich violated the club’s non-disparagement and confidentiality agreements by publicly disparaging the organization on social media and to the press in retaliation for his ousting.In a post on X, Mr. Wintrich publicly criticized the club for barring Mr. Fuentes from the December fete, stating that “Nick had a paid-for seat — he was someone’s guest at their paid-for table. Those folks vetoed it. So a guest doesn’t even have the right to choose who sits at the table they spent 15k+ on.”Mr. Wintrich explained in a statement to the Sun that the disagreement over Mr. Fuentes had little to do with the divisive podcaster himself, but rather, centered on concerns over the club’s “selective enforcement” and efforts to “silence internal criticism and financial audits.”Mr. Fuentes, he says, was one of several people — including political commentator Sarah Stock — who was turned away at the door “despite having a pre-paid seat at a donor table.”“Meanwhile,” Mr. Wintrich says, a white nationalist, Jared Taylor, “was granted VIP access to all three events which included the pre-gala reception, the gala itself, and the after-party.” Mr. Wintrich added: “So what is the actual standard here?” Moreover, Mr. Wintrich claims that the club misappropriated the seats of those who were turned away, alleging they were “effectively stolen from high value ticket-holders who had committed $15,000 per table.” An email dated three days after the event and obtained by the Sun shows that Mr. Wintrich called on the club’s leadership to address “the absolute lack of ethics in re-selling full Gala tables/seats to double profit,” noting that it “erodes member/donor trust.”Mr. Wintrich also aired his grievances in an interview with Politico, expressing frustration that the dozens of reporters he had invited to the gala were “relegated to a distant corner by his fellow organizers.” He proclaimed that the gala was “the worst event they’ve ever thrown.”His comments, the complaint alleges, caused the club to “suffer public embarrassment, harm to its reputation, and disapproval from some of the organization’s supporters.” The club’s leadership subsequently removed Mr. Wintrich from his post, citing his unprofessional behavior and violations of his non-disclosure agreement.Mr. Wintrich responded by launching a “campaign for revenge” against the club, having “released confidential information, publicly insulted and ridiculed members, and publicly leveled knowingly false accusations of criminal conduct against the organization and its leadership,” the complaint alleges. One day after Mr. Wintrich’s ousting, the group claims that Mr. Wintrich secretly recorded a private member meeting and posted the video on his X account with a caption using vulgar language: “I gotta say, I’m really gonna miss these HIGHLY productive @NYYRC board meetings where we have obese chicks on camera driving through traffic while stuffing their face while folks say absolutely nothing for 3 hours in the background.”Mr. Wintrich continued to belittle the club on X, branding the Young Republican’s attorney an “actual retard” and accusing the club’s president — who he likened to an “albino ginger” — of engaging in “obvious misconduct.” The complaint further alleges that Mr. Wintrich “rejected, and even mocked” the group’s efforts to stop him, which included issuing a cease and desist letter.The club is seeking a total of $5 million from Mr. Wintrich for defamation and violating his NDA and is also asking the court to order Mr. Wintrich to delete his uncomplimentary posts. Mr. Wintrich responded to the lawsuit by stating, “It takes brilliant logic to sue a public figure for five million dollars under the guise of ‘avoiding publicity.’” He reiterated his critiques of the club’s leadership, adding that “True conservatives oppose corruption and bureaucratic overreach; they do not hide behind attorneys to silence critics or stifle calls for transparency” nor do they “weaponize donor and membership funds from a venerable non-profit organization.” The conflict comes amid a widening divide within the Republican Party — in particular its newest members — over whether to embrace a faction of conspiratorial, and, at times, outwardly antisemitic, conservative commentators. This group includes Mr. Fuentes, a 27-year-old right-wing influencer known for his white supremacist and racist views, and podcaster Candace Owens who openly espouses antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Jewish community, including the canard that the Jews controlled the American slave trade.Lines have been drawn between the Republicans who defend these individuals and those who argue that they do not belong in the party’s tent. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has emerged as a reliable ally, offering a friendly platform for antisemitic figures like Mr. Fuentes. On the other side stands the DailyWire founder, Ben Shapiro, who has urged the coalition to shun such individuals, contending that they pose a significant threat to the integrity of the party.The party’s younger members have come into focus on this issue following a leak in October of racist and antisemitic messages from a group chat between Young Republican chapter leaders. The New York Young Republicans Club has distanced itself from its state-wide counterpart, the New York State Young Republicans, which was implicated in the leak.Additionally, the worrisome views of the coalition’s newest members was put on display in a recent survey by the Manhattan Institute. The survey found that the new cohort of voters are more likely than their veteran counterparts to report “openly racist or antisemitic views and express potential support for political violence.”The story has been updated to include statements from Mr. Wintrich.

New York Young Republicans Sue Former Press Chief After Feud Over Nick Fuentes Gala Attendance Boils Over

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