Former NYYRC officer claims he was threatened, removed from leadership channels after refusing to hand over chat logs that later reached POLITICO
The Affidavit
A notarized affidavit filed October 7 in Washington, D.C., sheds new light on the internal dynamics behind the leak of private Young Republican Telegram messages to POLITICO, a breach that led to firings, resignations, and calls for accountability across conservative youth organizations.
Michael R. Bartels, who served as Executive Secretary of the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) in August 2025, swears under penalty of perjury that he faced intense pressure from Gavin Wax to turn over complete logs from a private Telegram group known as “Restore YR Chat.” When he refused, Bartels alleges he was systematically cut off from club communications and threatened with legal action and reputational harm.
The three-page sworn statement, notarized in the District of Columbia, describes a sequence of events that Bartels characterizes as retaliation for his unwillingness to comply with demands for the chat logs. According to the affidavit, the pressure came from Gavin Wax, the former president of the NYYRC, during a phone call on August 16, 2025.
Sources who spoke to Nerve.News indicated that the White House came into possession of some screenshot between a Politico journalist and former member of the NYYRC on Monday and that the RNC had contacted White House personnel to request, informally, that they look into whether Wax was responsible for any of the leaks to Politico.
Two additional sources differ as to what happened next, with one indicating that the RNC had aggressively sought to chase down this lead with the White House balking while the other claims the admin personnel confronted Wax about the allegations who denied any involvement.
Allegations
Bartels states that when he resisted Wax’s demand for the full chat logs, after providing some requested information, Wax “threatened my professional standing, and raised the possibility of potential legal action related to an alleged breach of a non-disclosure agreement.” The affidavit continues: “My position within the New York Young Republican Club was directly threatened.”
Following his refusal to provide the complete logs, Bartels says he was removed from “most NYYRC communications channels, leadership chats, and my NYYRC email.” He adds that “mutual contacts also began to receive alleged details of my personal life from Wax.”
The affidavit reveals that Bartels later provided archived logs of the group text to Nathan Berger, identified as Wax’s associate. However, Bartels explicitly states: “I do not have definitive knowledge of what happened to the logs after that point until what are alleged to be the same logs were received by Politico. I cannot confirm if they were altered or changed in any way.”
Critically, Bartels affirms: “I did not give the logs to Politico myself.”
Nerve Stance
The leak has been treated within conservative circles not as a story about offensive rhetoric, but as a fundamental breach of trust. Private conversations among Young Republican leaders were shared with a mainstream media outlet, exposing internal debates and off-the-record discussions to public scrutiny and external political pressure.
For many conservatives, the episode represents exactly the kind of internal betrayal that undermines movement cohesion. The affidavit’s allegations, if accurate, suggest the logs may have reached POLITICO through a chain of custody that began with internal organizational pressure rather than a straightforward whistleblower action.
Organizational Background
The controversy involves two distinct organizations that are sometimes confused in public reporting:
The New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) is a historic Manhattan-based city club with its own officers and membership, formerly led by Gavin Wax as president.
The New York State Young Republicans (NYSYR) is a statewide umbrella organization coordinating county and local YR clubs across New York. It was formerly chaired by Peter Giunta; leadership changed in August 2025.
The leaked Telegram chat, known as “Restore YR Chat,” appears to have included figures associated with both networks, though the affidavit centers on NYYRC dynamics.
A response from Wax?
Sources familiar with Wax’s thinking have informed Nerve.News that the former NYYRC president will be responding with some form of formal complaint, but requests from Nerve to Wax have gone unanswered at the time of publication. Should we hear back we will update this story with his response.
Nathan Berger, identified in the affidavit as the person who allegedly served as the conduit between Bartels and POLITICO, has been contacted for comment. As of press time, no response has been received.
An affidavit in context and some closing thoughts
The affidavit is a sworn statement made under penalty of perjury. While notarization confirms the identity of the person signing and that they took an oath, it does not verify the truth of the underlying claims. However, making false statements in a sworn affidavit can carry criminal penalties, including possible prison time.
The document reviewed by Nerve.News contains no case number, suggesting it is a private affidavit rather than one filed in active litigation. Such documents are sometimes created to establish a formal record of someone’s account of events, particularly when legal action is anticipated or when a person wants to create a contemporaneous sworn record.
Regardless of how the internal disputes are ultimately resolved, the episode has already had significant consequences. Personnel actions followed the POLITICO publication, and the leak has prompted broader discussions within Young Republican organizations about confidentiality, internal accountability, and how to handle disputes without external media involvement.
This leak of controversial messages also comes on the heels of the Democrats own SMS scandal with Virginia Attorney General hopeful Jay Jones. The timing of this Republican leak is, therefore, more than a little suspicious.
For a movement that prizes loyalty and discretion, especially in internal strategy discussions, the leak of private leadership communications to a mainstream media outlet represents a serious breach. The Bartels affidavit adds a new dimension to that story, alleging that the path from private chat to published article may have involved internal pressure tactics and organizational retaliation.
Nerve.News will continue to follow this story and will provide updates as formal responses are filed and as additional documentation becomes available.
