Vermont State Senator Samuel Douglass has resigned after he was caught on the racist Young Republicans group chat.
Douglass, who represents a part of the state near the Canadian border, said his decision to step down came after Republican Governor Phil Scott called on him to do so following the exposé in Politico.
'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,' the governor said in a statement on October 14.
'Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party - including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass,' Scott added.
Four days later, Douglass succumbed to the pressure after previously apologizing for his participation in the Telegram chat where some were seen referring to black people as 'monkeys' and 'the watermelon people.'
'If my governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he's trying to do,' Douglass said in a written statement to Politico.
'I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe,' he added.
He also said he has reached out to his Jewish and BIPOC friends 'to ensure that they can be honest and upfront with me.'
Vermont State Senator Samuel Douglass resigned from his seat after his involvement in the racist Young Republicans group chat was exposed by Politico.
His lengthy statement also condemned people who allegedly sent him death threats after his role in the chat was uncovered. His resignation will be effective on Monday at noon.
His resignation came after Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, condemned the chat and called on everyone involved, including Douglass, to step down from their positions.
The Daily Mail approached Douglass and Governor Scott for further comment.
The chat was comprised of leaders of the Young Republicans, a national political activism group for 18 to 40-year-olds.
Douglass was the chair of the Vermont Young Republicans chapter and was the only elected official on the chat, though others implicated were working for politicians.
He wrote a message in the chat calling an Indian woman someone who 'just didn't bathe often'.
Brianna Douglass, a national committee member and Douglass's wife, wrote something about a Jewish colleague, saying her husband should not have expected 'the Jew to be honest.'
There were 2,900 pages of texts obtained by Politico which showed members of the chat talking about putting their opponents in gas chambers, raping people they disagreed with and praised Republicans they thought were pro-slavery.
Peter Giunta, who has now resigned as the chair of the New York State Young Republicans, wrote 'I love Hitler' and 'everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber.'
The Daily Mail revealed Thursday that the White House believes Gavin Wax, a State Department staffer, was the one who leaked the chat to Politico.
Wax was a rival of Giunta (pictured), chair of the New York State Young Republicans, who wrote on the chat 'I love Hitler' and 'everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber'
Wax, who was formerly the leader of the New York City Young Republican Club, a rival to Giunta's upstate group, has denied that he was the leaker.
Still, senior White House officials urged Wax to retract his alleged leak last week as word of Politico's scoop spread, according to four Republican officials familiar with the situation.
An explosive affidavit from Michael Bartels, another Trump administration official, was delivered by Republican Party chiefs to the White House Office of Political Affairs on October 7. It accused Wax of blackmailing him to obtain the leaked group chat.
Three days later, the same office received a damning screenshot: texts between Politico reporter Jason Beeferman and Wax, allegedly showing that he provided names, phone numbers and background on individuals featured 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: 'This random group chat has nothing to do with the White House, no matter how hard the Daily Mail tries to make it so.'