NY Republicans Move Unmasked Gala To NJ, Prompting Investigation

NEW YORK CITY — After refusing to disclose where it was holding a secret, in-person gala, the New York Young Republican Club appears to have proceeded with the event on Thursday — in New Jersey.

Photos from the event appeared to show dozens of unmasked people gathered together in an indoor event space. After facing intense criticism for its plans to hold the in-person gathering during the pandemic, the club refused to say where its 108th annual gala would be — but an invitation obtained by Patch listed the venue as Maritime Parc, an event space at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

Attendees included U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and James O'Keefe, the conservative filmmaker and provocateur.

Source just sent me this invite from the event which names the venue: Maritime Parc in Jersey City.

If true, would put to rest the mystery that @danarubinstein reported on earlier tonight: https://t.co/TG03X3nf0v pic.twitter.com/nlA0X5AKvd
— Nick Garber (@nick_garber) December 4, 2020

The gala was originally slated to be held somewhere in Manhattan — an official event page from October listed the venue as the Caldwell Factory in Chelsea. Earlier this week, the club clashed with State Sen. Brad Hoylman after he condemned the gathering and asserted that the group had moved its event to the Women's National Republican Club in Midtown.

The group's president, Gavin Wax, steadfastly denied this, as his group labeled critics of their event as "court Jews." (Wax is Jewish, the New York Times reported.)

Friday morning, officials in Jersey City pledged to investigate the event, which may have violated New Jersey's coronavirus health orders — the state has an indoor gathering limit of 10 people, or 25 percent capacity for restaurants.

Jersey City's prosecutor suggested on Twitter that organizers could face charges, while the mayor, Steven M. Fulop, said in a statement that the event "appears to be an egregious violation of the governor’s executive orders, including capacity limitations and mandatory mask wearing."

Maritime Parc had been ordered closed during an investigation, he added. A call to the restaurant Friday morning was not immediately returned.

The Young Republicans' gala was not the only one hosted by a GOP club Thursday evening. The same night, the Metropolitan Republican Club hosted a "Christmas and Hanukkah Social" at their Upper East Side townhouse, complete with an open bar.

Hours before that event, the club's building on East 83rd Street was vandalized with red paint by activists calling on the club to cancel the event, which went on as planned.

The club told Patch in a statement Thursday that "We are adhering to all guidelines and operating well under our capacity rate, following the 25% guideline."

Caren Lissner contributed reporting.

Related coverage: Jersey City Prosecutor To Look Into Republican Event