As Luigi Mangione’s pre-trial hearings for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continue this week, Mangione’s attorneys are trying to exclude crucial evidence that they say was obtained illegally. And, on Tuesday’s episode of “The View,” host and former federal prosecutor Sunny Hostin agreed that it “could be” grounds for an appeal.
On Monday, Mangione’s attorneys argued that police never obtained a search warrant for Mangione’s backpack when he was apprehended and thus, anything in it can’t be admissible. According to police, they were worried about the bag containing a bomb, but that didn’t quite track for Hostin.
“It was at a McDonald’s, and they didn’t evacuate the McDonald’s,” she said. “So, if you really thought, Miss Police officer, that there was a bomb, you would’ve evacuated.”
At that, host Joy Behar immediately wondered if that would be grounds for appeal by Mangione’s team.
“It could be,” Hostin confirmed. “And it could be grounds to get rid –“
Host Sara Haines cut her off at that point, wondering why police would need a warrant to search for a weapon, especially if just asking a suspect if they had one likely wouldn’t yield an honest answer.
Hostin then explained that, in typical searches, a police officer will ask a suspect if they have anything sharp that could injure the officer, or a weapon of any kind. At that point, they will then search a bag. But, she reiterated, the justification being a bomb threat didn’t “make sense.”
“You can’t use a lie to conduct a search, because this country is not that kind of country,” she said.
You can watch the full discussion from “The View” in the video above.
