A longtime aide to Washington, D.C., mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George is facing scrutiny after social media posts surfaced showing support for Luigi Mangione following his arrest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Makia Green, who serves as political director for George’s campaign and has been a close adviser for years, posted on Threads shortly after Mangione’s December 2024 arrest.
“Comment when you see this #freeluigi and pardon the youth!” Green wrote on Dec. 11, 2024.
The post came just two days after authorities arrested Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a nationwide manhunt. Prosecutors allege Mangione fatally shot Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk in a targeted attack. Mangione has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 8. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Green’s post is drawing renewed attention as George competes in the final days of Washington’s Democratic mayoral primary. Additional social media activity uncovered from the same period shows Green expressing frustration with UnitedHealthcare. In one post, she included the company on a list titled “Things that piss me off” and shared a video criticizing the insurer over difficulties obtaining medical care.
The controversy comes amid broader political debates over the way some activists and online commentators have responded to Thompson’s killing. Certain left-wing activists portrayed Mangione as a symbol of public anger toward the healthcare industry, while critics argued that such reactions amounted to excusing or glorifying political violence.
A Democratic insider quoted in reports described Green as a close confidant of George and argued that her continued prominence within the campaign raises questions about the candidate’s judgment.
The attention on Green is also reigniting discussion about George’s own political record. Before launching her mayoral campaign, George built a reputation as one of the more progressive members of the D.C. Council. She previously supported efforts to redirect funding from the Metropolitan Police Department toward community-based programs and violence interruption initiatives.
In a 2019 social media post, George wrote, “I will absolutely divest from MPD and put that money into violence interruption programs. Full stop.”
More recently, however, George has emphasized public safety proposals that include increasing participation in police cadet programs and expanding resources for detectives investigating crimes. The shift has led critics to question whether her current positions align with earlier statements.
Green herself has long been associated with prison abolition and police reform activism. She founded the nonprofit Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and has publicly advocated for reducing reliance on policing and incarceration.
Additional scrutiny has emerged over Green’s past social media posts concerning Israel and Hamas. Previous reports highlighted posts in which she allegedly downplayed Hamas atrocities and referred to Israel as an “imaginary state,” prompting criticism from Jewish organizations and political opponents.
The controversy arrives at a critical moment in the mayoral race. Polling conducted by The Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School showed George leading Democratic rival Kenyan McDuffie by double digits heading into the June 16 primary.
