Bernie Sanders joins list of progressives condemning violence while offering explanation for CEO shooting

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the latest progressive that appeared to offer a justification of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson after condemning the violence.

On “Meet the Press” Sunday, Sanders was asked about Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s, D-Mass., controversial comments on Thompson’s death. 

“Violence is never the answer. This guy gets a trial who’s allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth[care], but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands,” Warren said.

In responding to Warren’s comment, Sanders similarly appeared to offer an explanation for the killing after initially condemning the violence.

ELIZABETH WARREN SAYS KILLING OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO WAS A WARNING: ‘YOU CAN ONLY PUSH PEOPLE SO FAR’

“Look, Elizabeth Warren obviously understands killing and murder and shooting somebody in the back is totally unacceptable, but what I think has happened in the last few months is that what you have seen rising up is people’s anger at a health insurance industry, which denies people the health care that they desperately need while they make billions and billions of dollars in profit,” Sanders said.

“So, killing anybody, shooting somebody in the back who was the father of two, is outrageous. And it’s unacceptable. Nobody, nobody should applaud it. I know Senator Warren did not. But I think what we need to ask ourselves when we talk about health care, is why we are the only major country on Earth not to guarantee health care to all people, why we have a life expectancy which is significantly lower than in other countries, why working-class people die five to 10 years shorter than the people on top,” he continued. 

After receiving significant blowback, Warren later walked back her comments.

“Violence is never the answer. Period,” she told Fox News Digital. “I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.”

Luigi Mangione, who has been accused of killing Thompson, became a hero to far-left figures online as retribution against healthcare insurance companies denying coverage. 

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Other more mainstream progressive figures condemned the violence but conditioned their comments on attacking the healthcare system. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., similarly said the shooting was not justified but added that denied claims could be seen as “an act of violence.”

“This is not to say that an act of violence is justified, but I think for anyone who is confused or shocked or appalled, they need to understand that people interpret and feel and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them,” Ocasio-Cortez said.