EXCLUSIVE: A Pennsylvania congressman fired off a scathing letter overnight to the University of Pennsylvaniaâs president demanding the firing of a left-wing professor whose social media posts lauded Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
In his letter, GOP Rep. Dan Meuser called for Cinema & Media Studies professor Julia Alekseyevaâs firing and noted the university had just finished weathering another scandal relating to its soft response to antisemitic and pro-Hamas protests.
Alekseyeva made her online accounts private this week after blowback for saying â among other things â that she is proud to be a UPenn Quaker like the accused killer. Thompsonâs murder sparked a left-wing outcry depicting a simmering anger toward the insurance industry that led to online celebrations in other quarters.
Alekseyeva posted a TikTok video of herself smiling as âDo You Hear The People Sing?â from the French musical âLes Miserablesâ played. The play tells the story of a peasant imprisoned for stealing food and his ensuing quest for redemption.
âI am writing to express my profound concern regarding the recent actions of Assistant Professor Julia Alekseyeva⊠which appear to celebrate the alleged actions of Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the tragic murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson,â Meuser wrote to UPenn interim president J. Larry Jameson.
Meuser noted Alekseyeva proudly connected Mangione to the University City, West Philadelphia school and that she had labeled him âthe icon we all need and deserve.â
The educator, who was reportedly born in the Ukrainian USSR and moved with her family to Chicago in the 1990s, also refers to herself online as a âsocialist and ardent anti-fascistâ on her website.
Meuser, seen as a potential top contender in the 2026 gubernatorial contest against Democrat Josh Shapiro, called Alekseyevaâs behavior âoutrageousâ and said it violates the âbasic ideals of a civilized society.â
In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, Meuser said it is unacceptable for any educator to glorify acts of violence, especially at a high-level institution like UPenn.
âThese actions undermine the core values of higher education and threaten the trust placed in our academic institutions,â Meuser said.

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-PA (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The lawmaker, who represents the Coal Region and part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, said he is a fan of the Quakers but expects answers from Jameson in order to ensure further federal support for the school.
âYour response will dictate how my colleagues and I support allocating future federal funding for research at the University of Pennsylvania,â he wrote in the letter, calculating $936 million in federal research grants in 2023.
â[This] forces Congress to question whether safeguards are in place to ensure that faculty conduct reflects the ethical and professional standards in line with the Universityâs reputation as a center of excellence and thought leadership.â
He also asked Jameson whether Alekseyeva was found to have used university property in making her pronouncements, whether other faculty made similar gestures of support for Mangione and what other steps are being taken to prevent such scandals in the future.
The school has until the end of the year to respond, he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to UPenn for comment.
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A statue of Benjamin Franklin, founder of the University of Pennsylvania (Mike Mergen/Bloomberg via Getty)
The schoolâs deputy dean of its Arts & Sciences school said in a Wednesday statement the university is aware of concerns over Alekseyevaâs posts and that they are âantithetical to the valuesâ of UPenn.
âUpon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them. We welcome this correction and regret any dismay or concern this may have caused,â Dean Jeffrey Kallberg said, according to the New York Post.
Mangione, a member of a large and well-connected Baltimore family, was captured following a tip from a customer visiting a McDonaldâs off Interstate 99 in Blair County, Pa.
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