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Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has defended his $10,000 donation to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good.
Ackman was listed as the top donor to a GoFundMe for Jonathan Ross, who was caught on camera last week firing his weapon at the 37-year-old mother-of-three as she drove away in Minneapolis.
The founder and CEO of Pershing Square claimed on X that he has since 'been widely reviled (and worse) by many on social and mainstream media' for his donation.
'My donation to Ross has been characterized in social media by the press as my "giving a reward to the murderer of Renee Good," likely in an attempt to generate clicks and boost virality, and by some to advance their political objectives,' Ackman wrote in a lengthy post Tuesday night.
He noted that he also tried to support an online fundraiser for Good's family, but it was already closed after reaching more than $1.5 million in donations.
'My purpose in supporting Ross and attempting to support Good was not to make a political statement,' Ackman insisted. 'I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes [by] 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 Ross is guilty of murder,' he continued.
Ackman then went on to provide context about his decision to support the fundraiser for Ross 'in light of the strongly negative reaction by perhaps half the country (in contrast to cheers of support from the other half of the country).'
Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman has defended the $10,000 donation he gave to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross
Ross was caught on camera last week firing his weapon at Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother-of-three, as she drove away in Minneapolis
Ackman said he also tried to donate to an online fundraiser for Good's widow and her children, but it was already closed after reaching more than $1.5 million in donations
He then recounted how in 2003, he faced a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into the trading practices of his hedge fund, Gotham Partners.
'I was confident that I had done nothing wrong, but I was convicted in the headlines,' Ackman claimed.
'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,' the billionaire said.
In light of the incident, Ackman said, '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.
'In a typical case, the entire world believes you are guilty,' he continued. '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.'
Ackman said he considered donating to Ross (pictured with his wife) anonymously, but chose to make his donation public 'as I believed doing so would help Ross raise more funds for his defense'
'You are immediately doxxed. 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.'
Because of that, Ackman said he is 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.
'My instinctual reaction to the media convicting someone before an investigation has begun - let alone a trial and determination by a court and/or jury - is to be very open to the possibility that the accused is innocent,' he continued, before discussing Ross's case directly.
He said he decided to support the online fundraiser for the ICE agent 'because I knew he would need significant funds to cover his defense costs,' and noted he tried to support the GoFundMe for Good's family as well because 'I thought that it was the right thing to do.'
But before he submitted his donation to Ross, Ackman said he considered whether to check the box allowing him to donate anonymously 'as I thought my support could be viewed by some as controversial.'
In the end, though, he said, he chose to make his donation public 'as I believed doing so would help Ross raise more funds for his defense.'
Ackman claims he has received backlash for his donation to Ross, as anti-ICE protests spread throughout the country
Ackman urged the American public not to race to judgment. Anti-ICE protesters are seen gathering on Sunday in Los Angeles
'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,' the billionaire concluded.
'Our country and its citizens would be vastly better served by our not rushing to judgment and letting our justice system do its job.'
Ackman then warned: 'One day you may 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 reject 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.
'The fact that people will invest their personal funds to help an accused person provide for his or her legal defense is one of the greatest aspects of our country,' Ackman 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,' he wrote.
In a follow-up post, Ackman added that 'to be clear, Ross has only been convicted by some in the world of public opinion' and has not been charged with a crime.
Ross was caught on video firing three shots at Good as she drove her vehicle toward him
Ross has been facing backlash since footage emerged showing an officer approach Good's stopped SUV and grabbing the handle as he allegedly demanded she open the door last Wednesday.
Her Honda Pilot then began to pull forward and Ross pulled his weapon, immediately firing three shots and jumping back as the vehicle moved toward him.
It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with Ross. After the shooting, the SUV slammed into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.
Surveillance footage released days later showed Good apparently blocking the road with her SUV for four minutes before she was killed.
About 20 seconds after Good pulled up to the street, a passenger - believed to be her wife, Rebecca - exited the vehicle and eventually began filming.
There is speculation that Rebecca, who admitted to bringing her spouse to the anti-ICE protest, exited the car so she could begin filming any potential clash with federal agents.
She was seen wielding her camera during Ross's confrontation with her wife but it is unclear when she first started to record.
Good, 37, allegedly refused to get out of the vehicle when ICE agents asked her to
About 20 seconds after Good pulled up to the street, a passenger - believed to be her wife Rebecca (pictured) - exited the vehicle and eventually began filming
Trump administration officials have defended Ross's actions, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem saying he was an experienced law enforcement professional who followed his training.
She claimed he shot Good after he believed she was trying to run him or other agents over with her vehicle, describing her decision to drive her vehicle as 'an act of domestic terrorism.'
President Trump also called the Good a 'professional agitator' and claimed she was shot in 'self-defense.'
It is now unlikely that Ross will face any criminal charges in the shooting, according to The New York Times.
Those familiar with the investigation told the outlet that the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, which typically investigates police-involved shootings, has not opened a probe into whether Ross violated Good's rights under federal law.
Instead, the Justice Department is reportedly planning to look into a wide group of activists who took part in a Minneapolis neighborhood ICE watch activities, believing they were 'instigators' of the shooting.
The department has reportedly already ordered prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office in Minnesota to investigate Rebecca in the wake of the shooting, though it is unclear what crimes she may be suspected of committing.