DOJ defends employees reposting Trump's comments about Luigi Mangione

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday challenged arguments that two Justice Department employees jeopardized Luigi Mangione’s chance at a fair trial by reposting comments President Donald Trump made about him

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday challenged arguments that two Justice Department employees jeopardized Luigi Mangione’s chance at a fair trial by reposting comments President Donald Trump made about him.

In a letter filed in the Southern District of New York, federal prosecutors said that the department employees were not part of the prosecution team and did not know of the judge’s previous warnings not to comment publicly on the case. Mangione is facing federal charges in connection with the December murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“They 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,” the filing reads.

On Sept. 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.”

An X account affiliated with the White House, Rapid Response 47, then posted a video with Trump’s comment to its millions of followers a day later, according to a letter submitted to the court by Mangione’s attorneys on Sept 23.