An outcry erupted on Tuesday as Vice President JD Vance accused the corporate press of blatant double standards, blasting their silence over a Democratic candidate's violent text messages while left-wing outlets fanned outrage over leaked private chats among the leaders of Young Republicans groups.
The controversy reignited after Politico published more than 2,900 pages of leaked Telegram messages exchanged by Young Republicans leaders from January through August.
The messages -- containing racist and offensive remarks -- led to multiple firings in New York and Kansas.
Former New York Young Republicans chair Peter Giunta, Kansas vice chair William Hendrix and others were swiftly dismissed after the story broke, The Independent reports.
Democrats and liberal media condemned the messages as "revolting," and Vance turned the conversation toward what he called the media's "selective pearl clutching."
In a viral post on X, Vance pointed out that the same pundits who demanded accountability from Young Republicans had ignored shocking violent rhetoric from Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones in Virginia.
"This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia," Vance wrote, referencing Jones's text message calling for "two bullets to the head" of a Republican official.
"I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence."
As BizPac Review highlighted, Jones's remarks -- including hopes that a GOP lawmaker's "little fascist" children would die -- drew almost no attention from major networks.
Between ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS, only "Meet the Press" briefly mentioned the story.
Former Biden aide Neera Tanden downplayed it as "a private conversation ... but still awful and disgusting."
While many conservatives condemned the Young Republicans' actions, many argued that the silence underscores the media's double standard.
"When Republicans behave badly, the outrage is immediate and total," said political commentator Marc Short. "When Democrats threaten violence, the media looks the other way."
While corporate outlets zeroed in on the Republican scandal, conservative voices accused them of exploiting private conversations to smear the GOP's next generation while ignoring genuine calls for political violence from the left.
"Until every Democrat denounces Jay Jones' texts fantasizing about murdering Republicans & their children, I won't give a f*ck about edgy jokes by Young Republicans in group chats," wrote popular X account ALX.
"Jay Jones got a pass. Young Republicans you are forgiven," wrote X account 0HOUR.
The New York Post noted that the Young Republicans leak involved members seeking to push their organization in a more pro-Trump direction -- but Vance's response reminded conservatives that not all controversies are treated equally.
"The story isn't who said what in some chat room," Vance wrote. "It's that one side gets destroyed for private words, and the other side gets a pass for public threats."
Within 12 hours of his post, Vance's message topped 10 million views, fueling calls for Jones to drop out of the race.
Yet as of midweek, the Democratic candidate remained on the ballot, and national outlets had yet to demand his withdrawal.
The uproar highlights concerns over inconsistent media coverage.
As Vance noted, "The same people crying outrage over words are silent about violence."