Overview
- Three self-identified Mangione supporters — Abril Rios, Ashley Rojas and Lena Weissbrot — were shown on video wearing New York City press credentials while making inflammatory remarks that praised or defended the December 4, 2024, killing of Brian Thompson.
- Mayor Mamdani said the three should not have received passes and directed his office to review the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment process, but the administration has not publicly revoked the individuals’ credentials.
- City Council Speaker Julie Menin and the New York Press Club urged formal rule-making to tighten credential standards after the videos circulated on May 18 and 19, saying the case exposed weaknesses in how passes are granted.
- Press-freedom groups, including the Freedom of the Press Foundation, warned that removing access based on controversial speech risks unlawful viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment.
- The dispute follows a 2022 transfer of credentialing from the NYPD to MOME and unfolds during Mangione’s active pretrial proceedings, a dynamic that raises concerns about courtroom access, public safety and the optics for Thompson’s family.