UnitedHealthcare CEO gunned down in “targeted” assassination in Manhattan

UnitedHealthcare CEO gunned down in “targeted” assassination in Manhattan.

Trump rumored to be considering DeSantis over Hegseth for Defense.

The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, one of the country’s largest private health insurers, was gunned down in midtown Manhattan at 6:45 a.m. this morning, in what authorities called a “brazen targeted attack”. No suspect is in custody. The attack was caught on security cameras and there were a few witnesses.

Brian Thompson, 50, took over as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, in April of 2021. He lives in Minnesota but was in New York for an investors’ meeting at the Hilton Hotel on West 54th Street near Times Square. He arrived early to prepare for the meeting. According to the NYPD, his killer had arrived on foot about 5 minutes before him. The killer ignored several passersby. When Thompson walked past him, the killer shot Thompson in the back and leg. His weapon appeared to malfunction, but he quickly cleared the jam and fired on Thompson again. Three rounds and three shell casings were recovered at the scene, as well as a cell phone in a nearby alley. He then ran to 55th Street and rode off on an electric Citi Bike into nearby Central Park.

Police have not yet identified a suspect or a motive. However, unusually so soon after such an event, Thompson’s widow Paulette spoke to NBC News. “There had been some threats,” she said. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him”. UnitedHealthcare and its parent company have been accused of improperly denying coverage to patients for necessary care. Mrs. Thompson seems to be implying that this might have been the motive for the attack.

Paulette also said that the police had told her that the shooting appeared to have been planned. “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” she said. “I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children”. The couple had two children.

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Trump rumored to be considering DeSantis over Hegseth for Defense

Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been making the rounds speaking to Senators in Washington, accompanied by Trump’s soon-to-be VP J.D. Vance. Since his name was floated to lead the Pentagon, numerous revelations have shed an unflattering light on Hegseth’s character, particularly in his treatment of women.

Publicly, no Republican senator has said that they would not vote to confirm Hegseth. However, sources have told the Wall Street Journal that there may be six GOP senators who are considering voting against him. They can only afford three defections with incoming VP Vance as a tiebreaker vote.

Trump is therefore reportedly considering political rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a replacement should Hegseth’s candidacy continue to falter. DeSantis served in the Navy and the Navy reserve from 2004 to 2019, during which time he worked in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). Like Trump, he is a staunch conservative who shares the administration’s goal of eradicating “woke” policies in the military.

While many of his policy initiatives have been controversial, DeSantis has proven to be an able administrator in the state of Florida since becoming Governor in 2019, including during various natural disasters the state has faced. His experience and reputation could be persuasive to senators who are not convinced by Hegseth’s record and credentials.

The case against Hegseth

First, there was the 2017 sexual assault allegation against him. There were no charges filed in that case. However, Trump’s team was reportedly blindsided by the news that Hegseth had paid an undisclosed amount to his accuser to head off a lawsuit.

Last week, the New York Times published a 2018 email sent to Hegseth by his mother Penelope in the midst of his contentious divorce with his ex-wife Samantha. “You are an abuser of women – that is the ugly truth and I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.” She concluded the email saying, “I don’t want an answer to this… I don’t want to debate with you. You twist and abuse everything I say anyway. But… On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say… Get some help and take an honest look at yourself”.

Since this email emerged, Penelope Hegseth has said she no longer stands by these statements.

Then, a whistleblower report emerged revealing that Hegseth has previously been forced out of leadership positions at nonprofits concerned with veterans’ affairs. Among the allegations are reports that Hegseth embezzled funds, sexually objectified women in the workplace (and encouraged other male staffers to do so), and was on more than one occasion so drunk at an official function that he had to be physically carried out. On one occasion in 2015, during an official tour in Ohio, Hegseth reportedly got drunk in a bar and was loudly chanting, “Kill all Muslims! Kill all Muslims!”.

This last report ties in with other concerns around Hegseth’s “Crusader” ideology and his undisguised hostility towards Muslim Americans and Muslims in general. Hegseth was removed from National Guard duty for President Biden’s 2021 inauguration due to concerns over his tattoos that displayed Crusader slogans adopted by far-right extremists. So far, this has not appeared to have been of much concern to the Republican senators considering his candidacy. However, given that the current volatile situation in the Middle East will still likely prevail when Trump takes office, it should be.

UnitedHealthcare CEO gunned down in “targeted” assassination in Manhattan – National & International News – WED 4Dec2024