The New York Young Republicans Club is taking an internal feud to court, suing its former press chair and accusing him of defamation after a very public falling-out tied to the group’s controversial holiday gala.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, names Lucian Baxter Wintrich as the sole defendant and seeks at least $5 million in damages across two claims, along with a court order requiring him to remove social media posts and refrain from making further statements about the organization.
Wintrich served as the club’s press committee chairman from 2022 until December 2025, according to the complaint, which alleges that Wintrich violated confidentiality and non-disparagement agreements he signed while serving in leadership and made false public accusations of financial misconduct, thereby damaging the group’s reputation and donor relationships.
As part of his role within the club, the organization claims he signed multiple agreements requiring him to maintain confidentiality, avoid disparaging statements about the club and its members, and act professionally in public-facing settings.
The dispute appears to have escalated around the club’s annual gala, held on Dec. 13, in Manhattan. The event, which drew media attention and controversy over its guest list, included the appearance of white nationalist Jared Taylor as well as Markus Frohnmaier, a lawmaker with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according to Politico. The report also stated that at least 19 other AfD members attended the event.
According to the complaint, Wintrich became angry after club leadership declined to invite certain media figures he had wanted to attend. During the event, the lawsuit alleges, he approached reporters and described the gala as “the worst event [the club] has ever thrown,” while also airing internal grievances.
Two days later, Politico published a report quoting Wintrich’s criticisms of the gala. The club states that the publicity caused embarrassment and reputational harm, particularly since the comments originated from its own press chair. On Dec. 17, the organization removed Wintrich from his committee position.
What followed, the lawsuit alleges, was a barrage of social media posts and public statements that crossed from internal criticism into defamation.
That same day, Wintrich allegedly posted a secretly recorded video of a private Zoom meeting of club members to his X account, which the lawsuit says had tens of thousands of followers. The post included derogatory comments about a female member visible in the video. The complaint also cites posts in which Wintrich insulted the club’s attorney and mocked senior leadership using slurs, calling one member an “albino ginger.”
On Dec. 17, Wintrich shared on X that he had received a cease-and-desist letter from the club’s Italian Caucus, stating that his actions since the gala constituted a “clear breach” of his NDA. On Dec. 18, Wintrich posted, claiming the club and its president were preparing a statement and a gag order, which he characterized as an attempt to silence him. He later posted again, saying he was awaiting a lawsuit and a public statement that the club leadership had promised.
The most serious allegations stem from a Dec. 29 appearance by Wintrich on the “Get Off My Lawn” podcast, hosted by Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys. During the show, Wintrich allegedly claimed he had been conducting an “internal audit” of the club and suggested that leadership had siphoned donor funds through a fundraising company he described as a “shell corporation.” amNewYork was not able to verify these comments.
He further implied that hundreds of thousands of dollars may have been embezzled and claimed, without evidence, according to the lawsuit, that the New York Attorney General’s office was investigating the organization. The club flatly denies those claims. The NY AG’s office did not respond to requests for comment on this claim at the time of publication.
In the complaint, the New York Young Republicans Club states that no internal audit ever existed, that Wintrich was never tasked with reviewing the finances, and that the fundraising company he referenced is a legitimate vendor that has received little to no compensation. The suit also states that no law enforcement agency, including the attorney general’s office, is investigating the club.
“Simply put, Defendant’s published statements are a series of wholesale fabrications maliciously designed to malign and harm Plaintiff and its members, motivated by an apparent desire to take revenge on Plaintiff and falsely paint himself as a ‘whistleblower’ who was removed from the organization for uncovering criminal activity,” the lawsuit reads.
The club argues that the podcast remarks amount to defamation under New York law because they accuse the organization and its leadership of criminal conduct. It also alleges that Wintrich breached his confidentiality and non-disparagement agreements by publishing internal materials and publicly insulting members and officers.
In addition to monetary damages, the club is requesting that the court permanently enjoin Wintrich from making further statements about the organization, require him to remove existing posts, and award attorneys’ fees.
amNewYork reached out to Wintrich for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Prior to his time at the NYYRC, Wintrich drew national attention in 2016 for a provocative pro-Trump photography project, ‘Twinks4Trump,’ and later served as a credentialed White House correspondent for the conservative website The Gateway Pundit during the Trump administration’s first year.
