Who is Ken Klippenstein? All about the independent journalist who published Luigi Mangione's alleged manifesto

Independent investigative reporter Ken Klippenstein released a copy of suspected UHC shooter Luigi Mangione's alleged handwritten manifesto on December 11. The 35-year-old journalist previously worked for several outlets including The Daily Beast, TYT Network, The Nation, and The Intercept.

Ken currently runs an independent news outlet, KLIPNEWS, which he started in May 2024. The organization claims to be "dedicated to explaining what the national security state is actually up to." Ken co-founded the outlet with journalist William M. Arkin.

William previously held positions at reputed news firms including, The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC News, and Los Angeles Times. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief at KLIPNEWS.

According to Ken Klippenstein’s LinkedIn, he attended Naperville North High School from 2003 to 2006 and received his high school diploma. In 2007, he joined Wheaton College to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and achieved his BA degree in 2010.

Ken seemingly started his reporting career in December 2010, working as a reporter at RSN.org until August 2017. In September of the same year, he joined The Daily Beast as a contributor. Ken Klippenstein simultaneously worked for TYT Network until September 2018, around the time he left Daily Beast.

In October 2018, Ken was promoted to Senior Investigative Reporter at the TYT and served in the position till January 2020. Ken worked at The Nation for a while as a DC Correspondent before joining The Intercept as a full-time reporter in January 2021. He left the company in May 2024 to start KLIPNEWS.

According to The Intercept, Ken is a Freedom of Information Act requester.

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Luigi Mangione's reported manifesto as published by Ken Klippenstein

Ken Klippenstein first released Luigi Mangione's supposed manifesto on Substack on Tuesday, December 10. He claimed it was the "real one" and "not the fake one circulating online". Previously, X account @Dialectiks shared some screenshots of Luigi's alleged manifesto that was titled "The Allopathic Complex and Its Consequences".

X Community Notes attached to the tweet noted the alleged digital manifesto was posted on Substack after Luigi's arrest on December 9. The Substack publication is currently unavailable, posing questions about its authenticity.

The quoted text from Luigi Mangione's allegedly "real" manifesto posted by Ken Klippsenstein reads:

"To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone."

Luigi Mangione supposedly spoke about a spiral notebook in this note which contained a to-do list that further details his supposed motive and plan. He wrote:

"My tech is pretty locked down because I work in engineering so probably not much info there."

Though this alleged manifesto does not directly mention UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder, Luigi supposedly claimed in it:

"I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming."

He allegedly highlighted the United States' top ranking for the "most expensive healthcare system in the world" and the country's supposed 42nd rank in life expectancy. Luigi Mangione allegedly referred to UHC as United in the supposed manifesto, calling it USA's largest company by market cap after Apple, Google, and Walmart.

The note seemingly critiqued how these health insurance companies have grown in market value yet life expectancy in the country keeps deteriorating. Luigi Mangione supposedly wrote:

"They continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed [allowed] them to get away with it. Obviously the problem is more complex, but I do not have space, and frankly I do not pretend to be the most qualified person to lay out the full argument."

The note continued:

"But many have illuminated the corruption and greed (e.g.: Rosenthal, Moore), decades ago and the problems simply remain. It is not an issue of awareness at this point, but clearly power games at play. Evidently I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty."

Some lines cited as Luigi's words in his alleged manifesto by NBC News match the note shared by Ken Klippenstein.