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Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman issued a lengthy statement on X in which he defended his decision to donate to a fund for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minn.
The billionaire clarified that he did not make his donation as a political statement and claimed that he tried to donate to a GoFundMe for Good but that it had closed as it reached its fundraising goal.
Ackman denounced those who classified his donation as “giving a reward to the murderer of Renee Good,” saying that those who painted it as such were doing so to “generate clicks.”
“My purpose in supporting [the officer] and attempting to support Good was not to make a political statement,” Ackman said. “I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes of providing for their defense. I strongly believe that only a detailed forensic investigation by experts and a deep understanding of the law that applies will enable us to determine whether [the officer] is guilty of murder.”
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The billionaire said he considered making the donation to the officer anonymously but thought that his public support would help give the fundraising efforts a boost.
Since making the donation, Ackman has faced backlash that spilled into the corporate world, with Chipotle publicly distancing itself from the billionaire after social media users falsely claimed he owned the restaurant chain.
Chipotle posted a one-sentence statement on Threads Monday clarifying that “Bill Ackman is not affiliated with Chipotle” in response to a viral post that called for a boycott and inaccurately claimed Ackman owned the company after he donated $10,000 to the officer’s defense fund.
Ackman’s hedge fund, Pershing Square Capital Management, disclosed a 9.9% stake in Chipotle in 2016, and the billionaire played an active role in reshaping the company’s strategy before reducing the stake over time and fully exiting late last year, a move disclosed during Chipotle’s November earnings call.
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In his post, Ackman provided context for his decision to donate to the fund for the officer and his attempt to give a donation to Good’s family.
“Twenty-three years ago almost to the day, I was accused of a crime that I did not commit. [I] was confident that I had done nothing wrong, but I was convicted in the headlines. I was under investigation for nearly a year before it ended without any finding of wrongdoing, but it would be years later before I was exonerated in the public eye. Fortunately, I had the financial resources to pay for my defense and support my family during the investigation, a period during which I was unemployed,” Ackman said.
In addition to detailing his personal experience, Ackman spoke about his interaction with Barry Scheck, the founder of the Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted and reform the justice system. Ackman noted that Pershing Square Foundation became one of the largest funders of the innocence project. Additionally, Ackman also spoke about what it was like to be on the jury for a date rape case in which the accused was found to be innocent through careful examination of evidence.
“I have tremendous respect for how our jury system works and its critical importance. I also have real-life perspective on what life is like for the accused, particularly someone who believes and/or knows that they are innocent,” Ackman said.
“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. And in the social media era, it is much, much worse. You are immediately doxed. You receive hundreds of death threats. Your 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.
Beyond his experiences with the justice system, Ackman said his decision was influenced by the American belief that people are innocent until proven guilty.
“I am a fierce advocate for the American legal principle that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a judge or by a jury of one’s peers,” Ackman said. “It is very unfortunate that we have reached a stage in society where we are prepared to toss aside longstanding American principles depending on who is accused and on what side of the aisle one sits. Our country and its citizens would be vastly better served by our not rushing to judgment and letting our justice system do its job.”
The GoFundMe in question has raised more than $705,900 over the course of five days, with Ackman’s donation being one of the top ones.
Fox News Digital’s Eric Revell contributed to this report.
