Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is worried that Liugi Mangione, the suspect in last week’s fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will spark a new left-wing “political movement.”
Mangione, 26, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning following a massive manhunt in the aftermath of the December 4 shooting in New York City. He is currently facing gun and forgery charges in Pennsylvania and is likely to be extradited to face murder charges in New York.
A handwritten manifesto purportedly found with Mangione at the time of his arrest may indicate that Thompson’s killing was motivated by anger about the health insurance industry, with the suspect allegedly justifying the homicide by writing, “The parasites had it coming.”
Reactions to Thompson’s death and Mangione’s arrest suggest that a significant segment of the American public may be supportive of the suspect. Greene expressed concerns on Tuesday that Mangione would inspire a new progressive push for socialized medicine.
“I’ve been watching this unfold, and I believe it’s the beginning of a political movement,” Greene said during an interview with Real America’s Voice. “What I’m more concerned about is we’ve seen the left push for socialized medicine for years, you know?”
“[Progressive independent Senator] Bernie Sanders had Medicare For All,” she continued. “I hope this doesn’t turn into where they take this guy they’re praising…and make him some sort of hero that they all worship and then pick up the mantra and go after other people.”
Newsweek reached out to Greene’s office and the office of Mangione’s lawyer, Thomas Dickey, via email for comment on Tuesday night.
Mangione is the cousin of a Republican Maryland state lawmaker, and his own political leanings are unclear. His account on X, formerly Twitter, does not include any evidence of an allegiance to the political left.
Jeff Swensen; John Moore/Getty Images
Mangione’s account includes praise of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for having “brilliant insights” and support for the notion that a “decline” in Christianity has prompted the adoption of “made-up pronouns as religious mantras.”
Despite Greene’s suggestion of a left-wing movement, it is also far from clear that any real movement is forming or that support for Mangione and indifference to Thompson’s killing, positions that seem to be largely tied to a disdain for the insurance industry, is coming exclusively from the left.
While some Mangione supporters have indicated clear support for his alleged actions regarding the death of Thompson, a large amount of online praise for the suspect has instead been focused on his physical attractiveness.
Mangione’s family said in a statement issued on Monday night that they were “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest” while offering “prayers to the family of Brian Thompson.”
