Abel Carvajal resigned as secretary of the Miami-Dade County Republican Party following the discovery of a racist group chat allegedly involving young Republicans that sparked an investigation. Miami-Dade GOP Chairman Kevin J. Cooper announced Carvajal’s resignation, which came as the party was expected to discuss his fate in a meeting.
Carvajal is accused of starting the WhatsApp group chat that would come to include dozens of racist, antisemitic and violent comments. “Today, Abel Alexander Carvajal has resigned as Secretary of the Miami Dade GOP,” Cooper said in a statement. “As Chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County, I want to state clearly: racism and antisemitism have no place in our Republican Party. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”
The controversial group chat involved students with connections to Florida International University’s College Republicans and the university’s Turning Point USA chapter. The TPUSA chapter president recently resigned from the position following the discovery of the chat. Cooper emphasized the party’s commitment to moving forward despite the controversy.
“As this ugly episode ends, we reaffirm ourselves to the mission ahead: to elect Republicans to office up and down the ballot,” Cooper said. “In addition, we continue our many successes in voter registration, outreach, get out the vote, and electing Republicans to local and federal office. I welcome all freedom loving Americans to join us in our effort to Keep America Great.”
Following his resignation, Carvajal released a press release announcing he is suing Florida International University and its president, Jeanette M. Nuñez. He claims his first-amendment rights were violated for participating in the “off-campus, private group chat that involved speech protected by the First Amendment.” The lawsuit represents Carvajal’s attempt to challenge any disciplinary action taken against him by the university.
Cooper concluded his statement by looking toward future political activities. “We look forward to campaigning with all communities, discussing the many accomplishments of our Party, and delivering a major Republican victory in November,” he said. Carvajal has not responded to calls or text messages for comment regarding either his resignation or the pending lawsuit against FIU.