The Left’s Reaction to the Daniel Penny and Brian Thompson Cases Reveals Hypocrisy

I felt elated when I learned of Marine veteran Daniel Penny’s not guilty verdict.

Conversely, I was taken aback and saddened upon viewing footage of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson being brutally killed in Manhattan.

These reactions seem fitting for anyone with a sense of fairness and empathy, wouldn’t you agree?

Penny put his own safety on the line in the dangerous New York subway to protect a mentally unstable, homeless individual who had a long history of violence from executing a threat to kill someone.

For six minutes, he maintained a restraint hold on Jordan Neely while waiting for law enforcement to arrive, alternating between applying pressure and releasing it, a method he learned in the military to subdue individuals.

What motivated Penny to act?

He acted because he witnessed the terror in the eyes of nearby women and children and intended to shield them.

This fact is supported by nine out of the eleven witnesses at the trial, who stated Neely’s behavior was the most frightening incident they experienced on the subway.

This sentiment is why Penny was acquitted: the jury recognized him as a hero rather than a perpetrator.

Though it was tragic that Neely, who was under the influence of drugs at the time, died, it was a direct result of his own menacing actions, not Penny’s efforts to prevent him from harming innocent individuals.

Yet, predictably, left-wing activists quickly launched a campaign to label this as a racially charged crime similar to the murder of George Floyd, despite the absence of any evidence supporting such claims and the stark differences between the two scenarios.

Race-baiting advocate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez infamously tweeted: ‘Jordan Neely was murdered.’

Others labeled Penny a ‘white supremacist’ without providing any justification for such a reprehensible accusation.

Walter “Hawk” Newsome, the founder of Black Lives Matter in New York, proclaimed that anyone who deemed Penny innocent carried “racism in their heart” and claimed “the KKK scored another victory.”

Newsome was vocal again following the verdict, appearing outside the courthouse to shout: ‘We need some black vigilantes. If they want to choke us and kill us for being loud, we should do the same when they try to suppress us.’

He even directed a threat towards Penny, warning: “It’s a small f–king world, buddy.”

Why hasn’t he faced arrest for such blatant incitement to violence?

If the Left’s vicious response to this case was alarming, their reaction to the blatant, cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson was even more troubling.

Many openly celebrated his death, led by liberal journalist Taylor Lorenz, who recently worked for the New York Times and Washington Post, and who tweeted: “And people wonder why we wish death upon these executives.”

She later quipped “I am not alone” in response to another post that read “Healthcare Executive Down,” adorned with celebratory balloons.

In a now-viral interview, I confronted her on my “Uncensored” show, asking: “Why would you celebrate the execution of another individual? Aren’t you part of the caring, sharing left that values life?”

To my shock, instead of backing down — or apologizing — she doubled down, stating: “I do believe in the sanctity of life, and I think that’s why I, along with many other Americans, felt joy.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “Joy?! Seriously? Joy over a man’s execution?”

“Maybe not joy,” Lorenz replied with a smirk, realizing how cruel her words were, “but certainly not empathy.”

I challenged her: “How can this make you feel joyful? This man was a husband, a father, gunned down in the streets of Manhattan. Why does that bring you joy?”

At that point, Lorenz accused Thompson of killing “tens of thousands of Americans” through his company’s healthcare practices, laughing repeatedly as our heated exchange continued until I finally lost my patience and yelled: “Taylor, I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you laughing so much?”

Staggeringly, her cold-hearted reaction to Thompson’s assassination has garnered praise from numerous left-wing social media profiles, with some attempting to turn the killer, Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, into a twisted hero.

It wouldn’t be surprising if many of those celebrating the murder of this non-violent, non-threatening, innocent man were also the ones who expressed outrage at the accidental death of a violent, threatening, habitual criminal on the subway.

The contrasting reactions to these two fatalities illuminate the shocking double standards and hypocritical morality of the woke left.

They promote the hashtag #BeKind and claim to be more compassionate, sensitive, and tolerant than conservatives.

Yet, they view courageous veterans like Daniel Penny as villains, while portraying deranged shooters like Luigi Mangione as heroes.

If you hold these beliefs, you truly are a disgrace to humanity.