MSNBC Terrorism Analyst on People Lionizing Luigi Mangione: It’s ‘Situation Normal’

Reid: “Let’s talk about some of the things that happened around this. I mean, the McDonald’s where he was caught is now getting flooded with negative Yelp reviews. The woman who apparently turned him in now needs to probably be getting some security. People are attacking that person for having turned him in. There is a lionization of him that is happening, not unlike what you sometimes see, like people who, you know, lionize the Menendez brothers, who — you know, a horrific story of them killing their parents, or Ted Bundy back in the day. What do you make of that?”
Kavanaugh: “You know, 36 years as a cop and federal agent, I see that as situation normal. I mean, they lionized David Koresh, they lionized John Dillinger, they lionized, like you say, Ted Bundy, the Menendez brothers, killers, bombers, you know. There is always a little segment of society that is going to say, ‘Oh, he is cute. Oh, I like him, I want to marry him.’ People have been going to marry people on death row since the ’20s, so it’s really not new. It’s seamy, but they are running to him for the — you know, just the publicity of it, the in-the-moment-ness of it, the attention it has. Maybe there are feelings against the health care industry.”
Reid: “I think that’s clear.”
Kavanaugh: “You can have feelings against the health care industry, but not lionize this guy, a back shooter, a coward, the ultimate coward shooting a man down in cold blood in the back of a sidewalk. And he lionizes Ted Kaczynski, who’s a coward as well — “
Reid: “The Unabomber.”
Kavanaugh: “ — bombs and killing people and maiming people — the Unabomber, sure. And he is reading him for guidance. So that tells you a lot.”
Reid: “And by the way, just for those who think — who are lionizing him thinking that it made a difference in the industry, the guy who is the new CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Andrew Witty, in an internal video said that what they are going to do, ‘To make sure that we not only acknowledge and honor the legacy of Brian Thompson, we will continue our role as a critical issue. We will make sure care is safe, appropriate and delivered when people need it, and guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe and unnecessary care to be delivered in a way that makes the whole system too complex.’ They are not changing the policies, guys. That’s something y’all need to keep in mind. Jim Kavanaugh, thank you very much. Much appreciated.”