New York City erupted around a courtroom scene this week when supporters of suspect Luigi Mangione showed up wearing press credentials, spewing hateful taunts toward slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and forcing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office into damage control in Manhattan. The episode involved three women identified as Abril Rios, Ashley Rojas and Lena Weissbrot, whose open praise for Mangione and crude attacks on Thompson drew national attention and renewed questions about how the city issues press badges and defends journalistic standards.
The incident unfolded outside the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building as Mangione, 28, appeared for a brief hearing while facing state and federal charges in the December 2024 killing of Brian Thompson. The three women flashed press credentials from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment while making violent comments that many described as celebratory and dangerously unprofessional for anyone claiming press status.
Abril Rios, Ashley Rojas and Lena Weissbrot did not merely criticize Thompson; they openly celebrated his death and mocked his family in front of cameras and courthouse foot traffic. “F— Brian Thompson,” Rojas said. “That’s all I want to say. F— Brian Thompson. F— his mom.” Those words landed like a punch and quickly went viral, sparking outrage across social media and among elected officials who saw the episode as an abuse of municipal resources.
Weissbrot ratcheted the rhetoric further, telling reporters, “His children are better off without him. They need to learn to not be like their dad. And enjoy the blood money, kids.” She added a shocking comparison: “I remember Americans celebrating when Osama bin Laden was killed.” The comments didn’t sound like journalism; they sounded like political theater that crossed into endorsement of murder and an attack on grieving family members.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani tried to put distance between the mayor’s office and the stunt, telling reporters, “those three individuals should not have received press passes.” That statement acknowledged the problem while also exposing procedural limits in how badges are revoked, a point Mamdani’s office later clarified as tied to OATH hearings and the long-standing credentialing rules maintained by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
Reaction was swift and harsh. Critics blasted the city for allowing press-like access to activists who were using credentials to amplify violent rhetoric rather than report facts. Journalists and commentators who followed the scene demanded a tighter gatekeeping process so that badges meant for reporters don’t become a mask for agitators looking to provoke outrage and influence a high-profile criminal case.
Some of the backlash arrived tagged to well-known journalists and accounts, with lines like Journalist Miranda Devine , “Why are activist morons impersonating reporters?” and another journalist Michele McPhee saying, “I cannot believe they were issued press passes! Incredibly dangerous. And what exactly are their qualifications? We really need to stop treating influencers like journalists.” A separate critic called out Mayor Mamdani by name and accused his office of empowering dangerous rhetoric.
The trio’s public profiles have been on display since the courthouse confrontation. Rios’s Substack bio describes her in combative terms and she defended her role by insisting she works in social media, which she called “also press,” while arguing that her platform gives her a right to speak about systemic issues in healthcare. When asked for additional comment, Rios — who said she was speaking on behalf of all three women — provided Fox News Digital with a statement suggesting “no amount of pressure or fearmongering is going to make me bow to our oppressors.”
“I have a platform and I intend to use it to speak about even the toughest truths. The fact of the matter, whether you want to face it or not, is that the healthcare lobby has continued to innovate—not in ways it can help people—but in ways that it can steal from us. I have zero remorse or sympathy for those capitalizing off of and relying on the deaths of the American people to put money in the pockets of the few,” Rios said. “I’ve remained true to my beliefs for the last couple of years and this should be zero surprise to any person, group, or media outlet,” she added. “Having opinions is not illegal, and neither is sharing them. I wish to see the day that more Americans come forward and are not afraid to speak on what I know many of them truly believe.”
Rojas and Weissbrot also spoke to reporters and defended their views as outrage at the healthcare industry, with Weissbrot telling a news outlet, “I know it’s a little inflammatory, but the American people are really mad about the health insurance industry.” Their posture reflects a broader strain of anti‑industry anger, but mixing that anger with press credentials at a murder hearing alarmed both press freedom advocates and public safety officials.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his attorney condemned what he called “vile and irresponsible statements” from supporters. The case itself remains active: surveillance video shows Thompson was approached from behind on a sidewalk in Manhattan and fatally shot while in the city to meet with investors, and prosecutors are pursuing evidence in both state and federal courts.
The episode forced the mayor’s office to say it is reassessing credential standards even as it points to legal constraints around revocations and OATH procedures. For critics aligned with a Republican perspective, the incident underscores a pattern: left-leaning administrations enabling activist tactics at the expense of basic decency and public trust, and a need for reforms so official credentials don’t become tools for political spectacle during sensitive legal proceedings.
https://x.com/mirandadevine/status/2056448424908620000
