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‘Oh no you absolutely did’: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins tries to deny promoting CEO killer’s defense fund in deleted tweet

February 17, 2025 | | Print Article

A CNN anchor’s denial of taking a side regarding the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson begged the question, “Then why did you delete the post?”

In one of the purest examples of the cultural rotgut pervasive throughout society, many celebrated when news broke that the father and husband had been killed on the street in New York City. Fanfare grew to a fervor when alleged suspect Luigi Mangione was arrested in December, leading his legal defense to start a website that CNN’s Kaitlan Collins raised eyebrows for sharing.

Ensuing backlash had Collins reacting to the New York Post publishing Fox News coverage of her online activity titled, “CNN’s Kaitlan Collins deletes post promoting Luigi Mangione’s defense fund after backlash,” as she wrote on X Sunday, “This is not true. I posted that his attorneys created a website, which is newsworthy and other outlets have also reported on. In no way did I share a fundraising link for him.”

The article also included a statement from a CNN spokesperson who defended, “This was nothing more than a social post reporting news surrounding the trial,” and suggested the story was “without any merit.”

Prior to the backlash, the anchor and chief White House correspondent posted on X, “Luigi Mangione’s legal defense team has launched a new website today,” and included the URL for the site.

That site was launched in time for St. Valentine’s Day to include Mangione’s first statement to the public where he thanked his fans for supporting him as he remained behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, facing charges that had a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

“I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” began the statement. “Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe. While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to write. I look forward to hearing more in the future.”

The site also linked to a crowdfunding page that was established for Mangione’s legal defense where the previously set goal of $500,000 has since been changed to $1,000,000 and has surpassed 15,000 contributions.

Despite Collins’ defense that her post was little more than sharing a “newsworthy” detail regarding the case in New York City, reactions on social media found that hard to believe.

In addition to the fact that Collins could have shared a link to her own employer’s coverage on the latest in the Mangione case instead of focusing on the newly-created website, the fact remained that the post being defended was deleted from the Internet, which, as many were happy to remind with continued backlash, was forever.

Kevin Haggerty
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