Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, have claimed Donald Trump violated his right to a fair trial.
In a court filing on Tuesday, Mr Mangione’s legal team referred to remarks the US president made in an interview with Fox News, as well as social media posts by some Department of Justice (DoJ) employees, which they say inferred Mr Mangione’s guilt.
In response, US District Judge Margaret Garnett told DoJ officials not to share comments that could interfere with a fair trial, warning that “future violations may result in sanctions”.
Mr Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering Mr Thompson.
During the interview with Fox, Trump said: “The thing about Mangione, he shot someone in the back as clear as you’re looking at me or I’m looking at you… he looked like a pure assassin.”
He added: “There’s not a question – he openly walked up to a man and shot him right in the middle of the back.”
Mr Mangione’s lawyers claimed the White House has linked him to “left-wing extremist groups”. They pointed to a White House statement, which referenced “leftists celebrating Luigi Mangione for gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson”.
They also cite an interview with Stephen Miller, the White House’s deputy chief of staff for policy, who told Fox: “Of course the healthcare CEO was brutally gunned down by another self-described so-called anti-fascist.”
Mr Mangione’s team claimed the government “knows this statement to be false as they are in possession of his alleged extensive journal writings where the writer never once mentions being anti- (or pro) fascist”.
The statements are “part of a greater political narrative that has no place in any criminal case”, they argued.
Mr Thompson was shot in December 2024 as he was walking into a Manhattan hotel, where the company he led was holding an investors’ meeting.
Five days later, police charged Mr Mangione with murdering Mr Thompson after detaining him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania.
Mr Mangione faces federal charges of stalking, a firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
However, his lawyers requested that the death penalty is removed from his case, saying the statements from the president and others are in violation of his fifth and eighth amendment rights.
Mr Mangione’s next hearing in his federal case is scheduled for 5 December.
The BBC has approached the White House and the DoJ for comment.
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