Two panelists clashed on British journalist Piers Morgan’s show Tuesday after Democratic political commentator Briahna Joy Gray admitted she had no empathy for slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson, a 50-year-old high-profile insurance company CEO, was shot dead while walking out of his New York City hotel last week, with 26-year-old Luigi Mangione arrested by authorities on Monday in connection to the murder. On “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Gray had been discussing how the “root of the public outcry” was coming from Americans’ dissatisfaction with UnitedHealthcare, noting that while she doesn’t condone vigilante violence, she believes there is a need to get to the “root of why” Americans have a “deep well of tragedy, despair and outrage.”
“But just to be clear, before I go to Natalie to respond to that, do you feel any empathy for Brian Thompson and his family?” Morgan asked.
“I have infinite empathy for any individual as a person in their personal capacity. As his role as the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, I’m afraid I’m with the overwhelming majority, bipartisan majority of the American people who say ‘I’m saving my empathy for people who are much more vulnerable,’” Gray said.
Morgan then pressed again, clarifying she didn’t have “any empathy” for Thompson after his public execution.
“I personally don’t,” Gray said.
“Right. OK, well, at least you’re honest,” Morgan said. “I mean, I find this staggering. You’ve got to remember the left is supposed to be the party that cares so much. All of them have their ‘be kind’ hashtags. They’re the caring ones, the kind ones, and they can’t even bring it in their hearts to say they find a shred of empathy for a man who’s just been executed, who’s the father of children, the husband of a loving wife, and so on. I find that just staggering that you can’t, on a human level, have empathy for the murder of someone, but also make your point about the system in which he was an executive.”
Morgan went on to ask Steve Bannon’s “War Room” host Natalie Winters for her thoughts on what Gray said, which led to the outburst between the two.
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“I’m not a supporter of the United States healthcare system or apparatus. Believe me, there’s so many problems that need to be fixed and adjusted there. But condoning, which is in effect what these two panelists are doing, the assassination of him by a roundabout way by saying, ‘Well, the healthcare system,’” Winters said as Gray could be heard attempting to interrupt. “You just told me that you had absolutely no empathy and that you think what people are doing by gunning down healthcare executives because of bad decisions.”
Gray responded.
“I do not condone vigilante violence in either instance. So don’t misrepresent my view. If you can make your case without telling a lie, miss, then you should do it. I have empathy for the 68 million Americans and their families who are killed every single year — ” Gray said as Morgan called for the two to not talk over each other.”
Thompson’s alleged assassin was arrested Monday in Altoona, Pa. and charged by the New York Police Department with second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a suppressor, and possession of a forged instrument, according to ABC7 NY. Following Mangione’s arrest, online users quickly defended the 26-year-old’s actions, with some, including political pundits, noting how “hot” he appeared.
Along with online users, stores on an e-commerce platform called Etsy have begun to sell shirts, cups and Christmas ornaments featuring an image likened to Mangione. The 26-year-old alleged assassin’s lawyer claimed Tuesday his client will likely plead not guilty to his charges, according to NBC Philadelphia.
(Featured Image Media Credit:Screenshot/YouTube/”Piers Morgan Uncensored”)
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