Rachel Maddow came under fire for proposing a link between Donald Trump and Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of a healthcare CEO.
Luigi Mangione, 26, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been arrested after a nationwide manhunt.
Authorities took Mangione into custody on Monday afternoon at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was found in possession of a 3D-printed pistol, a silencer, and ammunition.
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Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson, 50, outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan on December 4.
Mangione was apprehended after arriving in Altoona on a Greyhound bus. Surveillance footage captured him entering the McDonald’s, where Altoona police arrested him without incident.
Officers later confirmed that Mangione had been in Pennsylvania for several days and may have traveled through Philadelphia and Pittsburgh prior to his capture.
“We do have an idea how he got from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, but there are some gaps in time,” Lt. Col. George Bivens stated.
Thompson was in New York City for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor meeting, where he was scheduled to highlight the company’s financial success.
Surveillance footage showed Thompson walking outside the hotel when he was shot at point-blank range with three bullets.
The shell casings recovered at the scene had the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” etched into them, signaling apparent anger toward health insurance practices.
Authorities believe Mangione was motivated by personal grievances against the medical insurance industry.
According to the New York Post, Mangione was reportedly upset about the treatment of a sick relative.
During his arrest, police discovered a three-page handwritten manifesto in Mangione’s possession.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny described the document as expressing “ill will toward corporate America.”
A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity revealed additional details from the manifesto, which included the lines: “To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone.”
Luigi Mangione’s alleged manifesto published by @kenklippenstein:
“To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some… pic.twitter.com/EJqh8DdT4g
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 10, 2024
Another line read, “I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”
Mangione appeared in court in Altoona on Tuesday, facing charges of murder and firearm possession.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, he was visibly agitated and had to be restrained after a public outburst.
BREAKING: Alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer has outburst while being led to extradition hearing
“This is completely unjust and is an insult to the intelligence of the American people and their lived experience!” pic.twitter.com/7QQEHhDxsK
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 10, 2024
His attorney, Thomas Dickey, stated that Mangione intends to plead not guilty to the charges.
Mangione is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on December 23.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has drawn criticism for her comments attempting to link Mangione to Donald Trump and his rumored pick for ATF Director, Blake Masters.
Maddow speculated about connections between Mangione’s admiration for the Unabomber and Masters’ past comments on Theodore Kaczynski during an interview.
Rachel Maddow links the United Healthcare CEO assassin to Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/WDOIEwDwQY
— RebelwithoutaReason (@RebelwoaReason) December 11, 2024
The comments sparked backlash on social media, with critics accusing Maddow of making baseless connections.
One commenter wrote, “SHE’S GOT TO GO! When are the Dems going to learn, no, Trump is not at fault for everything including the weather!”
Meanwhile:
JUST IN: Rachel Maddow’s ratings tanked 43% since Trump won – NYP
X is the media now!! pic.twitter.com/fjFhRrzBfF
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 11, 2024
As the investigation continues, authorities are piecing together Mangione’s movements and motivations leading up to the shooting.
His arrest has brought an end to a week-long search, but questions remain about how he evaded capture for several days and the extent of his grievances against the healthcare industry.
Mangione’s preliminary hearing will shed more light on the case as the justice system begins its process.
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