Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) offered mixed reactions on Thursday to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. She remarked that many Americans view denied insurance claims as a form of “violence,” but clarified that she was not condoning the alleged assassination of the executive.
“I think that this collective American experience… all of that pain that people have experienced, is being concentrated on this event,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters while standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
She urged caution in interpreting her remarks, adding, “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.” She went on to describe how individuals may be processing the murder in different ways.
“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 congresswoman explained.
She highlighted the severe consequences of the current healthcare system on Americans, saying, “People go homeless over the financial devastation of a diagnosis that doesn’t get addressed, or you know, the amount that they’re going to have to cover with a surprise bill and things like that. And we kind of talk about how systems are violent in this country in this passive way.” She then criticized the privatized healthcare system, stating that this reality impacts “a huge amount of Americans.”
Ocasio-Cortez reflected on her personal experiences with healthcare access, noting, “I mean, I did not have, I did not have health insurance until I got elected to Congress.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also weighed in on the incident, condemning the murder as a horrific act but acknowledging the widespread frustration with the healthcare industry.
“Murder is murder, and it is totally unacceptable, but I think the outpouring that we have seen indicates that frustration and anger at a healthcare industry which rejects claims that people desperately need,” Sanders said.
He emphasized the need for reform, adding, “And I think people understand that our current healthcare system is broken. We need to do whatever we have a major country on earth does and guarantee health care to all people as a human right.”
These comments come in the wake of Thompson’s murder on December 4 outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Breitbart News previously reported that this incident occurred amidst allegations of insider trading and monopoly practices involving senior executives at UnitedHealthcare.
The suspect in the fatal shooting, Luigi Mangione, has since been apprehended.
According to Breitbart News, when authorities arrested Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday, he was found carrying a handwritten letter stating, “These parasites had it coming.”
The murder has also sparked commentary from groups and individuals. The Sunrise Movement, a left-leaning climate justice organization, appeared to rationalize the killing, claiming that younger generations have “grown up watching CEOs commit mass murder.”
Similarly, the pro-Democrat Facebook page “The Other 98%” added to the controversy, sharing a post that mocked those upset over Mangione being hailed as a “folk hero.”
“To people upset about Luigi being made into a folk hero. Now you know how we felt when you made Kyle Rittenhouse into one,” the post read.
{Matzav.com}