Some right-wingers online are espousing a new conspiracy theory seeking to tie Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect charged in the brazen murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Since his arrest, Mangione has been at the center of multiple conspiracies—internet sleuths claimed his eyebrows proved he's a fall guy or a patsy for the Central Intelligence Agency while others believe he was communicating a secret message via the Pokémon in his X background header.
But now, the conspiracies have expanded beyond focusing solely on Mangione, targeting former House Speaker Pelosi.
The conspiracy is based on Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, investing in stock options for Palo Alto Networks, a cybersecurity company headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
According to Capitol Trades, Paul Pelosi purchased between $600,000-$1,250,000 million in Palo Alto Networks call options in February. (At least ten other politicians have invested in the company, though all in a smaller volume).
But why does Pelosi's investment matter to this conspiracy?
Nancy Pelosi-Luigi Mangione conspiracy theory
Palo Alto Networks investigated a major cyberattack United Healthcare faced in February. Some conspiracy theorists naturally believe the attack was part of an effort to obscure insider trading by the Pelosi family.
The Pelosi's have not been investigated for insider trading, but the accusation is frequently tossed around by her critics, including President-elect Donald Trump, who said in September that she should be prosecuted.
Pelosi's stock market success is routinely flagged as the epitome of the problems with members of Congress holding and trading stocks. Websites track her trades in the market, which frequently outperform many indexes.
In a lengthy X post on Tuesday, one right-wing influencer mused that the timing of Paul Pelosi's investment in Palo Alto Networks is "eyebrow-raising" and claimed Thompson, as CEO of United Healthcare, was scheduled to testify before the Department of Justice regarding potential insider trading allegations that could have implicated Pelosi.
Though Thompson himself had been accused of insider trading, as executives at the company offloaded shares before revealing a federal investigation into the insurance giant, there is no evidence he was set to testify against Pelosi.
Nonetheless, the claim has widely circulated among right-wing circles online, adding fuel to the conspiracy theory that the assassination all comes back to Pelosi.
"The murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was a mob hit ordered by Pelosi in order to keep Thompson from testifying that the Pelosi's engaged in insider trading," summarized the right-wing influencer who outlined his claims.
"luigi mangione is a patsy. nancy pelosi murdered brian thompson," echoed another account, who likewise highlighted the Palto Alto Networks trade and cyberattack investigation.
Others pointed to an old newspaper article showing a connection between the suspect's grandfather and Nancy Pelosi's brother, who served as Mayor of Baltimore.
One X account that frequently espouses unproven claims and conspiracies underscored the old connection, prompting commenters to dole out accusations of the murder being a "mob hit" and that "everything is connected to the Mafia."
The conspiracy has taken hold on Truth Social as well, with users echoing the baseless allegations.
"Mangione is Italian who is from the Baltimore area. Nancy Pelosi is Italian, and her dad was a mafia connected Mayor of Baltimore," one user wrote, misstating her father for her brother. "Brian Thompson was set to testify about Nancy Pelosi’s insider trading. I predict Pelosi had her connections sway Luigi into silencing Thompson."
"Pelosi had this guy killed and Mangione is not the shooter," concluded someone else. "Mangione is the patsy. Mangione is another name made up from mango one."
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