washington – The secretary of the Department of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas called the social media rhetoric that followed “extraordinarily alarming.” assassination of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson earlier this month, warning of the risk of violent extremism it poses.
Mayorkas said in an interview that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that he is “alarmed” by “the heroism being attributed to an alleged killer of a father of two on the streets of the city of New York,” as the killing of the insurance executive in midtown Manhattan on December 4 has it sparked a scattered celebration on social media, and the lion of the man accused in the fatal shooting.
“It speaks to what’s really boiling over here in this country, and unfortunately we see that manifest in violence, the domestic violent extremism that exists,” Mayorkas said.
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect, faces off federal charges including murder. The researchers’ working theory about the reason is animosity toward the health care industry. On social media, support for the suspect has materialized around grievances about perceived inequities in the insurance and health systems.
Mayorkas said the department sees a “wide range of narratives” that “drive some people to violence.”
“We’ve seen narratives of hate. We’ve seen narratives of anti-government sentiment. We’ve seen personal grievances in the language of violence, accompanying or part of those narratives,” Mayorkas said. “It’s something we’re very concerned about, this is a heightened threat environment.”
The Homeland Security Secretary said the threat of domestic violent extremism “is one of the biggest threats we have to counter.” And he noted that DHS has been concerned about social media rhetoric “for some time.”
Still, Mayorkas, whose tenure as head of the department ends next month, said that while his faith in the American people is “shattered” by incidents like the “bloody murder cold of a United Health Care executive.” noted that “these are the actions of one individual, which do not reflect the American public and the democracy in which we live.”
“I have faith in the American people,” Mayorkas added.