Luigi Mangione 'fangirls' could have press passes revoked under new NYC bill

NEW YORK CITY - New York City officials are moving to close a loophole that allowed self-described "Mangionistas" to obtain and flaunt official city press credentials. 

In response to Luigi Mangione's supporters accessing restricted areas and acting as advocates during the murder suspect's latest court appearance, the City Council has introduced a bill designed to make it much easier to revoke abused press passes.

Revoking press passes

What we know:

Currently, taking away a press pass in New York City is a high-bar legal hurdle. Under existing rules, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) must prove by "clear and convincing evidence" at a hearing that revoking or suspending a credential is justified.

A new bill seeks to change that by amending the administrative code to lower the burden of proof to a "preponderance of evidence."

According to the bill's sponsors, this change will ensure that while due process is maintained through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, the city can more effectively address obvious abuses of the credentialing system.

‘Fangirls’ at the courthouse

The backstory:

The legislative push comes on the heels of national outrage over the behavior of several individuals holding city-issued press passes outside a New York State Supreme Court hearing in May. 

City Council Speaker Julie Menin stated that the new reforms aim to address "the problem of the Luigi Mangione fangirl" during an interview with FOX 5 NY.

"These fangirls, who are not journalists, are showing up at the trial with press credentials that the City of New York is giving to them," Menin said.

These individuals, including credentialed influencers Ashley Rojas and Lena Weissbrot, made incendiary statements to the press, according to FOX News. Rojas aggressively dismissed the victim and his mother, while Weissbrot attempted to justify the killing by comparing Thompson to Usama bin Laden.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani subsequently stated that these supporters never should have been issued press passes.

Overhaul of media rules

Dig deeper:

Beyond changing how passes are revoked, the new bill forces a hard look at how they are handed out in the first place. 

The legislation legally requires MOME to conduct a comprehensive review of its existing rules, including its application procedures, criteria to deny an application and specific criteria that justify suspending or revoking a press pass.

If passed, the local law will take effect immediately. However, it will not apply to any revocation hearings that were already officially noticed prior to the law's enactment.