Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave a surprisingly cold response to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The Democrat from New York argued that Americans ‘feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them’ as she spoke with CBS News about the reaction – and sometimes praise – for accused assassin Luigi Mangione.
‘I think that this collective American experience, which is so twisted to have in the wealthiest nation in the world, all of that pain that people have experienced is being concentrated on this,’ she told Jaala Brown on the steps of Congress.
‘And it’s really important that we take a step back.
‘This is not to comment and this is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused, or is shocked, or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret, and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them.
‘People go homeless over the financial devastation of a diagnosis that doesn’t get addressed or the amount they’re going to have to cover with a surprise bill and things like that.
‘When we kind of talk about how systems are violent in this country, in this passive way, our privatized healthcare system is like that for a huge amount of Americans,’ Ocasio-Cortez continued, noting that she did not even have health insurance until she was elected to Congress.
Her comments came as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was forced to walk back her comments about the shooting.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argued that Americans ‘feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them’ as she spoke with CBS News about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
‘Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far,’ Warren said on MSNBC Tuesday night.
‘This is a warning that if you push people hard enough, they lose fait in the ability of their government to make change, lose faith in the ability of the people who are providing the health care to make change, and start to take matters into their own hands in ways that will ultimately be a threat to everyone.’
Conservatives on social media took issue with Warren’s comments with the Democrat issuing a walk-back on Wednesday.
‘Violence is never the answer. Period,’ she said, according to HuffPost. ‘I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.’
Among those complaining about Warren’s phrasing was a top aide for Republican Sen. Mike Lee.
‘This statement invents a non-existent connection between the insane murderer and United Healthcare, which did not push this rich kid to do anything, even accidentally,’ Billy Gribbin, the communications director for Lee, said on X. ‘He went crazy and killed someone.’
National Review writer Charles C. W. Cooke dedicated a whole column to Warren’s wording, noting that it’s always the ‘”but” that gets you.’
‘There’s a word for this sort of argument in the expansive English language. That word is “justification,”‘ Cooke continued.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on December 4
He was shot down at point-blank range by a gunman who fired several shots and hit the CEO in the chest and calf
Thompson, 50, was gunned down at point-blank range outside of a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on December 4.
The gunman fired several shots during the ambush and jammed his gun in the process, but managed to quickly clear the obstruction and continue firing, hitting the CEO in the chest and calf.
Bullet casings found at the scene had the words ‘deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ inscribed on them – an apparent reference to the health insurance industry’s systemic denial of claims.
Five days after the shooting, Mangione, 26, was located at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania and was taken into custody on firearm charges. He was later also charged with second-degree murder in Thompson’s death.
Mangione was identified as the suspect after he was found at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday
He was said to have had a 3D-printed pistol and black silencer loaded with one Glock magazine comprising six 9mm full-metal jacket rounds that the NYPD has said matched those of bullets found at the scene of Thompson’s assassination.
The suspect also reportedly had a manifesto outlining his grievances against UnitedHealthcare after suffering a debilitating back injury which required painful spinal surgery.
‘To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, [and] a lot of patience,’ he allegedly wrote in the manifesto, according to the Daily Beast.
He went on to say he had ‘respect’ for federal investigators, and apologized for causing any ‘traumas,’ but seemed to defend his alleged actions.
‘Frankly these parasites had it coming,’ the manifesto wrote.
It claimed that the United States had the ‘most expensive healthcare system in the world,’ but blasted the system for making America only the 42nd in life expectancy.
Police now say they have ‘no indication’ to suggest Mangione was ever a client of the insurance company.
Chief Joseph Kelly, though, noted to NBC New York that the manifesto ‘does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America.
‘So that’s possibly why he targeted the company,’ Kelly suggested.
Mangione had a public outburst as he was being led into court on Tuesday
Mangione appeared in court on Tuesday to face the Pennsylvania gun charges, where he had a ferocious public meltdown hours earlier.
The orange jumpsuit-clad suspect had to be restrained as he screamed at police while heading into court.
His lawyer, Thomas Dickey, has since claimed Mangione was just ‘agitated’ that he did not have legal representation at the time.
Dickey has also said his client will plead not guilty to the homicide charges in New York and the gun charges in Pennsylvania – as he continues to fight extradition to the Big Apple.
In the meantime, Mangione is due back in court on December 30, when a judge will consider multiple writ of habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of the suspect and impose a bail.
