Conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday pointed to what he called the “anti-capitalist” views of the 26-year-old man named as a person of interest in the investigation of the shooting death of a UnitedHealth executive to argue “leftism is a mental disease.”
Cruz linked to a New York Post story about the arrest of a person of interest in the shooting while concondemning “leftists” who have voiced sympathy with the masked shooter or expressed satisfaction over the executive’s brutal killing in midtown Manhattan.
“Leftism is a mental disease,” Cruz wrote in the post on X. He wrote that the person arrested by police “subscribed to anti-capitalist and climate-change causes, according to law-enforcement,” quoting the New York Post story.
Cruz in the post on X also wrote that the person who killed the United Healthcare CEO “has been widely celebrated by leftists online. Tragic & sick.”
The killing of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson has fueled a broader political debate after many people expressed sympathy with the suspect and frustrations with the health insurance industry on social media. Thompson was shot by an assailant outside a New York City hotel where United Healthcare was to hold a conference.
Police on Monday announced the arrest of Luigi Mangione as a person of interest. He was arrested in Altoona, Pa., Monday morning, and reportedly had a manifesto criticizing health care companies.
The health care executive’s killer left a message on some of the shell casings left at the scene. The spent brass had the words “deny,” “delay” and “depose” inscribed on it, echoing the title of a 2010 book that’s critical of the health care industry.
Mangione was taken into custody but has not yet been charged in the killing.
