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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked controversy Thursday with her remarks on the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson when she suggested that those shocked by people’s lack of sympathy toward the slain CEO simply don’t understand Americans’ frustration with the healthcare system.
“This is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them,” the New York congresswoman told CBS News’ Jaala Brown Thursday.
Ocasio-Cortez maintained that systemic inequality is the real problem. “Health care in this country has gotten to such a depraved state that people are living with things they should never have to live with. And this is not to say and this is not to participate in that glorification, but we need to understand that extreme levels of inequality in the United States yield high degrees of social instability,” she said.
AOC’s comments drew a slew of backlash from those who are fed up with those excusing the cold-blooded murder, lovers of the accused killer, Luigi Mangione, and posters across the Big Apple warning other CEOs that they’re next on the hit list.
“No AOC, you don’t get to justify violence,” one user wrote on X.
“Violence is never the answer, full stop. Rationalizing such actions only deepens divisions and detracts from real solutions. The focus should be on reforming the system, not excusing tragedy. Leadership should aim to heal, not fan the flames of desperation,” another user said on X, slamming AOC’s language.
What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down Wednesday outside a luxury Midtown hotel in a “brazen, targeted attack,” police said.
- Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021. He joined the company in 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Department of Justice.
- Thompson’s wife, Paulette, said her husband had been getting threats before he was killed.
- Thompson’s shooting led to sick support online, and even spurred a tasteless lookalike competition in NYC.
- A person of interest has been nabbed by police officers inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa.
- The suspect has been identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, originally from Towson, Md. He’s an Ivy League graduate who hated the medical community.
Follow along with The Post’s live updates on the news surrounding Brian Thompson’s murder.
The lefty rep’s comments come as Luigi copycats have come through the woodwork, including one Florida mother who was arrested Tuesday after allegedly making threats on a call to BlueCross BlueShield regarding the denial of a recent medical insurance claim.
The murder of Thompson, which garnered national attention leading up to the days of Mangione’s arrest, has drawn fanfare and downright obsession over the ex-Ivy leaguer from a wealthy Maryland family.
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson as the 50-year-old CEO walked to the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue, where UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was holding its annual investor conference on Dec. 4.
The University of Pennsylvania grad led police on a five-day manhunt that ended when he was taken into custody at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s after an employee recognized him and called police.
He was found in possession of a manifesto-type document that mentioned UnitedHealthcare and accused health insurance companies of corporate greed.