Justice Department lawyers reposting President Trump’s statements may have inadvertently endangered their prosecution of Luigi Mangione, who is on trial for the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.
On September 18, Trump said in a Fox News interview that Mangione “shot someone in the back as clear as you’re looking at me…. He shot him right in the middle of the back — instantly dead…. This is a sickness. This really has to be studied and investigated.” All of what Trump said was only alleged.
A clip of the interview was posted by conservative page Rapid Response 47. DOJ Public Affairs head Chad Gilmartin retweeted it, commenting that the president was “absolutely right,” violating the judge’s explicit orders that DOJ employees refrain from public comment about the case.
.@POTUS on the deranged fans of Luigi Mangione: “He shot someone in the back as clear as you’re looking at me… He shot him right in the middle of the back — instantly dead… this is a sickness. This really has to be studied and investigated.” pic.twitter.com/lbsEsgkrbQ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 18, 2025
Mangione’s defense team promptly notified the court that they will be filing a motion to dismiss and a suppression motion on Friday.
Federal prosecutors are defending Gilmartin’s actions, saying he and other department employees “operate entirely outside the scope of the prosecution team, possess no operational role in the investigative or prosecutorial functions of the Mangione matter, and are not ‘associated’ with this litigation,” according to the filing, as reported by NBC News.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty, and already had charges of state terrorism dismissed in September.
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