A claim by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow that links the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting to a potential Trump appointee has been met with criticism from various political quarters.
In her weekly MSNBC segment, Maddow attempted to connect Luigi Mangione, who is suspected in the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, to Trump’s possible choice for Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Blake Masters. The alleged link is their mutual interest in the writings of the Unabomber.
Maddow remarked during her program, “If it is him [Mangione], the fact that he’s a professed Unabomber fan is unsettling. I might mention that it’s even more unsettling that Donald Trump’s reported choice to run the ATF is also a self-professed fan of the Unabomber.”
The link to the Unabomber concerning Masters comes from a 2022 interview where he described Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber) as a “subversive thinker” worth studying. Masters noted at the time, “I’ll probably get in trouble for saying this. How about, like, Theodore Kaczynski?”
While Masters acknowledged the value in studying Kaczynski’s writings and ideas about technology, he made it clear that he does not support Kaczynski’s deadly bombing campaign, which caused three deaths and several injuries over almost two decades, culminating in his capture in 1996.
Journalists and social media users from across the political spectrum quickly lambasted Maddow’s comments.
Detractors labeled Maddow’s commentary as “unhinged” and accused her of trying to tie unrelated events to Trump.
The segment was first highlighted by Ken Klippenstein, a left-wing journalist, who responded to Maddow’s attempted connection with skepticism.
Mangione, 26, was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being seen on surveillance footage getting off a Greyhound bus around 9 a.m. on Monday, December 9. According to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, Mangione may have been in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh following the shooting on December 4.
Thompson was shot three times at close range outside the New York Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where he was due to host UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor meeting to discuss the company’s yearly profits. Investigators found shell casings marked with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”
At the time of his arrest, Mangione had a 3D-printed pistol with a black silencer, loaded with six 9mm full-metal jacket rounds in a Glock magazine, along with one loose 9mm hollow-point round. His lawyer, Thomas Dickey, says his client will plead not guilty to the murder and weapons charges in Pennsylvania. He was extradited to New York City and appeared in federal court.
Police found a three-page handwritten note from Mangione expressing “ill will toward corporate America,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. The note also contained a direct message to federal investigators stating he acted alone.
David Kaczynski, brother of Ted Kaczynski, voiced concern about his brother’s ongoing influence, saying it would be a “terrible mistake” if the Unabomber’s ideology influenced Mangione.
Speculation suggests that Mangione’s actions might have been driven by grievances against the healthcare industry. His social media account featured x-ray images of a complex procedure performed on his back.
