The White House is currently embroiled in turmoil following allegations against a senior official accused of leaking inflammatory text messages from his Republican competitors.
The controversy erupted on Tuesday when Politico released 2,900 pages of documents, revealing messages from leaders of the New York State Young Republican Club. These texts contained derogatory remarks about Black individuals and disturbing comments praising Adolf Hitler.
Insiders have pointed the finger at Gavin Wax, a staff member of the State Department, alleging he was behind the exposure of his former associates from the New York State Young Republican Club, according to the Daily Mail.
Key figures within the White House reportedly urged Wax to withdraw his leak as the news of Politico’s report gained traction, as shared by four Republican officials with knowledge of the situation.
On October 7, an explosive affidavit from Michael Bartels, another official from the Trump administration, was submitted by Republican Party leaders to the White House Office of Political Affairs. The document accused Wax of using blackmail to acquire the leaked group messages.
Subsequently, on October 10, the same office received a revealing screenshot, purportedly showing a text exchange between Politico reporter Jason Beeferman and Wax. The conversation allegedly indicated that Wax shared personal details and background information on individuals mentioned in the group chat.
White House officials confronted Wax about whether he leaked the information to Politico and he denied the allegation, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The White House did not deny that discussions took place to pressure Wax to kill the Politico story when asked by the Daily Mail.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: ‘I am unable to answer this truthfully without surveying every single “senior White House official,” which is hundreds of people. Every commissioned officer at the White House is a “senior White House official.”‘
Matthew Brasseaux, the director of the Office of Political Affairs, did not respond to an email request for comment.
Donald Trump and Gavin Wax speak at the New York Young Republican Club’s 111th annual gala in New York on December 9, 2023
Wax has a number of high profile MAGA allies, including former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz
Gavin Wax and his wife Chelsea
However, those close to Wax are denying he’s the culprit.
A source insisted that he is being scapegoated as the Republican Party desperately attempts to divert attention away from the vile texts.
‘It’s a classic case of muddying the waters,’ the source said. ‘The fact is that Gavin does not like these guys in any way, shape or form, he thinks they’re pieces of s**t. But that doesn’t mean he was the one who leaked the text exchanges.’
Vice President JD Vance poured cold water on the scandal on Wednesday morning, dismissing the texts as ‘a college group chat.’
The damaging leak risks undermining attempts by Donald Trump’s party to position itself against violent political rhetoric following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The Young Republicans are a nationwide grassroots conservative movement with close ties to the Trump administration.
Wax, who ran a rival Young Republican club in New York City, serves in Trump’s State Department as chief of staff to the under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Darren Beattie.
Beattie worked in Trump’s first administration as a speechwriter, but was fired for attending a conference where two alleged white nationalist were present.
His conservative media outlet, Revolver News, helped him win back favor with Trump and secure a position in the second administration.
But it is Wax, sources say, who looms large in New York Republican circles.
‘Gavin operates everything like a mob boss. He’s an Italian mob boss. He is the don of the New York Republican scene. Everyone kisses Gavin’s ring,’ an insider said.
One of the three Republican sources familiar with the matter said they had heard the White House, and others in Republican circles broadly, know that Wax was responsible for this and he is likely to face consequences.
Wax, who now has a promising career in the Trump government, was allegedly motivated by his hatred of Peter Guinta (pictured), chair of the New York State Young Republicans, sources revealed
Wax maintains a top position at the State Department after blackmailing a fellow Trump staffer
The White House urged Wax to retract the information he leaked to Politico but it was too late
In a notarized affidavit, Bartels wrote that he did not give Politico the chat and that Wax ‘demanded’ in a phone call that he provide the full chat log. Bartels did not respond to a Daily Mail request for comment.
Wax, who now has a promising career in the Trump government, was motivated by his hatred of Peter Guinta, chair of the New York State Young Republicans, multiple sources revealed.
He and Guinta are long-running rivals. Wax controlled the Young Republicans New York City chapter and Guinta headed the upstate chapter.
The origins of Guinta’s feud with Wax stem from what Guinta calls a ‘petty’ miscommunication.
In May 2024, the Trump campaign invited the board of the New York State Young Republicans—including Wax, then the organization’s corresponding secretary—to take a photo with the president at a Wildwood beach rally.
Guinta informed the board about the invitation and relayed to the campaign who had confirmed attendance. But Wax didn’t confirm with Guinta until the day before the rally—after he’d already spoken directly with the campaign.
‘Gavin, who did not confirm his planned attendance with me until the day before and after he already spoke with the campaign, still got his photo [with Trump],’ Guinta told the Daily Mail.
Wax, however, believed that Guinta was trying to ‘block’ him from getting the picture with Trump.
A source close to Wax has described him as a ‘mob boss’ and ‘the don of the New York Republican scene’
‘It is super petty and it kind of just highlights that we lost sight of what is important,’ Guinta said.
Guinta resigned following the Politico story after it emerged he wrote, ‘I love Hitler,’ and, ‘everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.’
One individual who spoke with the Mail said he was shocked at Wax’s alleged ‘vendetta.’
As well as Guinta, Kansas Young Republicans vice chair William Hendrix resigned after using the N-word more than a dozen times in the group chat.
The source close to Wax said he is now considering suing Guinta for defamation and ‘is open to adding’ more names to the case.
