(REUTERS)

Treason substack editor and security expert Miles Taylor blasted Vice President JD Vance for giving cover to young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers and slavery, among other "insensitive and inexcusable" topics.

The chats, which took place on the Telegram app, referred to Black people as ‘monkeys’ and 'the watermelon people' and mused about putting their political opponents in ‘gas chambers.’ Other contributors confessed to liking ‘Hitler.’

CNN Saturday Morning “Table for Five” host Abby Phillip asked Taylor why Vance did not call out the group more thoroughly and Taylor said Vance “knows” where his party is headed.

“I think he sees that this is what's happening in the party,” said Taylor. “That's the party he's got to appeal to. When I came up in the Bush years, my butt would have been kicked out of the door if I had said anything like that in a group chat. I wouldn't have gotten another job in a Republican office. It was different then. It was different then because we talked about our principles. And now people who used to be on the fringes of the conservative movement with me are now the core, and that's who he's got to appeal to.”

“And he did excuse it,” Taylor added. “He said, ‘grow up’ for focusing on this. I see those words and I don't think we need to grow up. I think we need to say the people who said those things are the ones that need to grow up. That's the moral authority the vice president of the United States should have shown, rather than grooming young men to be little creeps by excusing that behavior.”

Republican strategist Tim Parrish denied that’s what Vance did.

“Look, the vice president of United States is a U.S. marine like me. I know his values. He does not condone this. He doesn't believe that this is okay, that these guys should get away with it. And I bet that if he was asked about this, the vice president would agree that these people should be held accountable.”

“No, let's not try to create a fantasyland when the reality is staring us in the face,” Phillip said. “He was asked about it and he said, ‘don't ruin these kids’ lives.’ Maybe there should be consequences — most other people have said that full stop, but he didn't, okay? That actually happened. So just take it for what it is.”

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