Lawyers also attempting to throw out two federal charges, saying US attorney general has ties to UnitedHealth Group
Lawyers for Luigi Mangione are attempting to avoid the death penalty and throw out two federal charges in the justice department’s case against him, arguing that attorney general Pam Bondi is biased because she used to work at a lobbying firm that represents UnitedHealth Group.
In court documents filed on Friday, Mangione’s lawyers said that Bondi has a “profound conflict of interest” because her former employer, Ballard Partners, a DC-based lobbying firm founded by the Trump donor Brian Ballard, counts UnitedHealth Group as one of its clients.
UnitedHealth Group is the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, its healthcare insurance division. Bondi became a lobbyist with Ballard Partners in 2019, after her term as Florida attorney general ended. She officially left the firm upon her appointment as attorney general earlier this year.
While it’s unclear whether Bondi ever directly worked with UnitedHealth Group as a lobbyist, Mangione’s lawyers are seeking to investigate the attorney general’s ties to Ballard and its relationship with UnitedHealth Group, including Bondi’s compensation with the firm and directions she’s given justice department employees in Mangione’s case.
