Unfounded Rumor Spreads about UnitedHealth CEO Testifying Against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Have you noticed the rumors circulating that Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare who was shot on Dec. 4 in New York, was eliminated due to his impending testimony against Rep. Nancy Pelosi for alleged insider trading? This inflammatory tale has been spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms lately. However, it's all a hoax.
The oldest documented instance of this fabricated narrative, as found by Gizmodo on Dec. 6, two days post the shooting incident, was by the X account named HustleBitch. They posted "BREAKING: Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was set to testify against Nancy Pelosi for insider trading."
Following this bogus post, other viral X accounts began sharing their versions a couple of hours later. Politifact discovered the claim being propagated on Threads and Instagram as well, although these posts were uploaded on Dec. 7, the day after the initial misleading tweets. It's worth noting that the alleged initiator of the shooting, Luigi Mangione, was apprehended for the murder, and the trial is still in progress as he fights extradition from Pennsylvania to New York.
Despite the baseless claim linking Thompson's death to Pelosi's insider trading, no concrete evidence has emerged to support that claim. Not a shred of proof exists to suggest that Thompson was preparing to testify against Pelosi for any kind of wrongdoing.
Intriguingly, Thompson had been involved in insider trading allegations himself. The Hollywood Firefighters Pension Fund filed a lawsuit against Thompson and other UnitedHealth executives in May. The lawsuit alleged that the execs illegally sold approximately $120 million worth of UnitedHealth shares following their knowledge of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into the company for anti-competitive practices. The stock value showed a significant dip only after the investigation's public disclosure. The lawsuit has Thompson listed as selling around $15 million worth of stock.
Pelosi and other Congress members have faced scrutiny and calls for regulation over stock trading activities. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested, in a 2021 post, "There is no reason for members of Congress to hold and trade individual stock when we draft major policies and have access to sensitive information."
Furthermore, various versions of the false narrative on social media platforms also incorporate a video that supposedly has Thompson discussing Pelosi's assistance to UnitedHealth. However, as can be readily observed, the video does not depict the deceased Thompson.
Matt Wallace, a conspiracy theorist who spreads disinformation frequently on X, played a significant role in circulating the misidentified video, along with others. Wallace also published a video on Rumble, claiming that Pelosi indoctrinated the shooter with techniques from MKUltra, the 1960s CIA's mind control experiment. Unsurprisingly, CIA officials dismissed these claims as "utterly false, absurd, and harmful" following their widespread dissemination.
There seems to be a logical motivation behind the online perpetuation of this deceptive story: amplifying false information that aids Trump. Many of the initial sharers of this misinformation have bios and images supporting Trump.
Amusingly, HustleBitch, one of the first accounts to propagate the hoax, had a history of spreading misinformation. They were also the first to propagate a fabricated claim that a body double was utilized during Trump's visit to observe a SpaceX launch with Elon Musk in the previous month. However, the identity of the account's administrator remains unclear.
To clarify, there's no proof whatsoever that Thompson was assassinated due to his testimonial intentions against Pelosi. Moreover, while Mangione's defense lawyer has declared his client's intention to declare himself innocent, all available evidence seems to suggest that Mangione might have been motivated by UnitedHealth's billions in profits derived from denying life-saving medical care to millions of frustrated Americans struggling with a flawed healthcare system.
The spreading of misinformation on social media platforms often involves sensationalized stories, as seen with the false claim about Brian Thompson's testimony against Nancy Pelosi for alleged insider trading. This scenario highlights the role of technology in shaping the tech-savvy future of information dissemination.
As we move forward in this digital age, it's crucial to promote digital literacy and critical thinking to combat the spread of misinformation, ensuring a future where facts prevail over fiction in the realm of technology.
