2 weeks Ago By Matt Novak
The so-called “manifesto” of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last week, has been leaked to independent reporter Ken Klippenstein. And while Gizmodo can’t independently confirm it’s the real deal, it looks much more authentic than the fake manifesto that was going viral on Monday. The note is 262 words long and some of the hand-written words are transcribed as unreadable.
But reading the short manifesto, it’s pretty clear that Mangione was motivated by the tremendous injustices regularly perpetrated by the healthcare industry in the United States. Klippenstein says major media outlets also have the manifesto but have refused to publish it. The reporter says he reached out to the New York Times, CNN, and ABC but hasn’t gotten an explanation for why they would sit on something newsworthy like this.
The manifesto in full, according to Klippenstein : Klippenstein had previously been banned from X for sharing a leaked document from the Trump-Vance campaign. Elon Musk, the owner of X, donated over a quarter of a million dollars during this past election cycle to support Donald Trump and other Republicans. And Klippenstein warned people on that platform Tuesday that he could get banned again.
A fake manifesto went viral Monday that appeared to originate on Substack. But it was first published after Mangione was arrested. There was also a hoax video that went viral on YouTube but the video-sharing site confirmed to Gizmodo that wasn’t real.
Mangione appeared in court on Tuesday and footage captured on his way from a vehicle showed him trying to shout a message to journalists as police physically held him back. He can be heard saying that something is “completely out of touch” and “an insult to the intelligence of the American people,” though the context wasn’t captured by reporters on the scene. Police can be seen holding Mangione by the neck as they force him into the courthouse.
People continue to sort through Mangione’s online footprint , which includes posts on Goodreads, X, and others. Mangione also had a Reddit account where he posted about back pain, according to a new report from Forbes . Mangione appears to have been posting on Reddit under the username Mister_Cactus , which has been suspended by the platform.
And it’s clear he struggled with serious back problems that brought him into close contact with the healthcare industry. Posting on r/spondylolisthesis, a forum to discuss spinal issues, Mangione’s account gave tips on how to push back against doctors who refuse to help. “Keep trying different surgeons.
‘Nobody will operate on my back until I’m at least 40’ is nonsense coming from a medical professional who lacks perspective,” one of the comments said, according to Forbes. Social media has been absolutely flooded by memes and videos about Mangione, setting off a debate about decorum and whether his alleged actions should be celebrated, even jokingly. Fox News and CNN have been distressed by the jokes, with Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter beside themselves with indignation Tuesday about the tone on social media .
“Here is a way for young people out there who are going online and talking about the suspect’s appearance and so on. They can do something with their time other than going on these social media sites and posting these kinds of comments,” said Acosta. “They can go organize.
They can do the things that can be done to get legislation passed in this country.” “It might be a lot harder than posting your hot take on social media,” Acosta continued, “but my goodness, that is how you get real change in this country. Not.
.. not doing, not doing what Mangione did and certainly not putting him up on a pedestal.
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