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Billionaire Bill Ackman doubled down on his decision to leave a $10,000 donation on a GoFundMe campaign supporting the federal immigration agent who shot and killed anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good — but admitted he didn’t “do any due diligence on the case” before seeking out the fundraiser.
Ackman, 59, openly admitted to leaving the top donation on a GoFundMe for Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fired three fatal “defensive shots” at Good last Wednesday.
In a post on X, Ackman lamented that he had been “widely reviled (and worse) by many on social and mainstream media” since confessing to the act of charity.
In the lengthy statement, Ackman reiterated his assertion that he attempted to donate to a GoFundMe creares for Good’s family, which closed after surpassing its original goal and accumulated $1.5 million in funds.
“My purpose in supporting Ross and attempting to support Good was not to make a political statement. I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes of providing for their defense,” Ackman wrote.
He cast doubt on Ross’ culpability in Good’s caught-on-camera shooting death, and said that “only a detailed forensic investigation by experts” will reveal the truth.
He also, bizarrely, cited the 2003 Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into his collapsing hedge fund Gotham Partners, which allegedly employed abusive trading tactics. He said the probe led to his “[conviction] in the headlines,” though the investigation didn’t turn up anything meaningful.
He wrote that he was “fortunate” to have financial support from his family during the investigation and emphasized his choice to give Ross “funds needed for his defense.”
Ackman laid out each specific experience, including his support for the Innocence Project and a stint as a juror in a date rape case, in an attempt to communicate his “real-life perspective on what life is like for the accused.”
Ackman noted that “the social media era” has warped the public’s notion of the presumption of innocence.
“In a typical case, the entire world believes you are guilty. You quickly become unemployed and unemployable. You and your family suffer from extreme public scorn in addition to severe financial pressure,” he wrote.
“You are immediately doxed. You receive hundreds of death threats. You and your family’s safety is seriously threatened, some of your friends and family abandon you, and your public life basically ends while you wait years to have an opportunity to defend yourself in court,” he added.
Ackman ended his essay-style statement, warning his critics that they could someday “find yourself accused of a crime you did not commit without the financial resources needed to defend yourself.”
“From that moment on, you will strongly regret the times you have rushed to judgment on the basis of a headline and the then-limited available evidence about a case, and you and your family will pray that someone will be open to believing you are innocent and will be willing to help you pay for your defense,” he said.
“A world in which the accused cannot afford to pay for their defense is not a world any of us should want to live in.”
Ackman boasts a staggering $9.3 billion net worth — making $10,000 approximately 0.0001075% of his total worth.
English (US)