Radical Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has suggested that the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was justified.
Ocasio-Cortez was commenting on the murder after Luigi Mangione was arrested for the New York City slaying.
Since his arrest, leftists have been framing Mangione as a hero for killing a health insurance executive.
In response to the controversy, AOC argued that denying health insurance claims is “an act of violence” similar to Mangione’s murder of Thompson.
AOC made the remarks on Capitol Hill while speaking to a reporter from CBS News.
The reporter asked AOC about the murder of Thompson and the mixed reaction to his death.
“I think that this collective American experience — which is so twisted to have in the wealthiest nation in the world — all of that pain that people have experienced is being concentrated on this event,” she said.
“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 — 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.
“People go homeless over the financial devastation of a diagnosis that doesn’t get addressed or, you know, the amount that they’re gonna have to cover with a surprise bill and things like that,” she claimed.
“And when we kind of talk about how systems are violent in this country in this passive way, our privatized health care system is like that for a huge amount of Americans.”
She then claimed that she did not have health insurance until she got elected to Congress.
The congresswoman complained about having had to “sit in a free clinic” in the past for medical care.
WATCH:
Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have begun presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work to secure an indictment against Mangione for the killing of Thompson.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate remains in custody at a Pennsylvania state prison after a judge denied bail on Tuesday.
His next court date in Pennsylvania is December 30.
“He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, defense attorney Thomas Dickey told reporters on Tuesday.
Authorities are still looking to access a phone recovered by police in an alley following the shooting that is believed to be linked to the suspect, officials said Thursday.
Police have obtained a search warrant for the phone.
Mangione was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday after nearly one week on the run following the December 4 slaying.
Three shell casings recovered outside the Midtown Manhattan hotel where Thompson was fatally shot match the gun allegedly found on Mangione when he was arrested, police announced Wednesday.
According to police, the three words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” were carved into the live rounds and shell casings found outside the hotel.
Fingerprints recovered from a water bottle and a Kind bar near the crime scene have also been matched to Mangione, police said.
In Pennsylvania, Mangione faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.
In New York, he faces charges including second-degree murder.
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