One of world’s richest men defends controversial $10k donation to ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good
Bill Ackman has addressed his decision to donate thousands of dollars to a GoFundMe organised to raise money for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good.
Good, 37, was shot and killed by Agent Jonathan Ross in the Minneapolis area on 7 January.
The billionaire hedge fund manager confirmed that he was the 'top donator' on the fundraiser, following an incident which rocked Americans all over the country, just one week into 2026.
Footage of Good's exchange with the law enforcement agents has since circulated online, with different angles and the lead-up to the shooting causing many to resort to protests.
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The late mum's last words were even captured on video, with her appearing non-aggressive, though the Trump administration had described her as a 'domestic terrorist', while the Department of Homeland Security described her as a 'violent rioter'.
President Trump had ordered the ICE agents to carry out raids in the Minneapolis area, in his latest move to crack down on illegal immigration.
The unarmed 37-year-old was accused of 'weaponising' her car and attempting to run over officers, by officials.
Ross could allegedly be heard calling her a f***ing b***h after firing the shots, as Vice President JD Vance claimed the agent wouldn't be charged for his actions.
In the aftermath of the incident, Ackman irked half of the US and delighted the other half with his generous donation to Ross' fundraiser.
Now, the 59-year-old has taken to X to explain his decision, claiming he didn't 'do any due diligence on the case' before splashing the cash.
He wrote: "My donation to Ross has been characterised in social media by the press as my 'giving a reward to the murderer of Renee Good' likely in an effort to generate clicks and boost virality, and by some to advance their political objectives."
The billionaire said he has been 'widely reviled (and worse) by many on social and mainstream media' since confessing to the act of charity, explaining he even tried to donate to Good's family, though the GoFundMe had closed after raising $1.5 million.
Ackman further claimed: "My purpose in supporting Ross and attempting to support Good was not to make a political statement. I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes of providing for their defense."
Speaking of the crime himself, he added that 'only a detailed forensic investigation by experts' would reveal what happened.
The hedge fund manager then bizarrely brought up the 2003 Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into his collapsing hedge fund Gotham Partners, as he had been 'accused of a crime that I did not commit'.
"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," he noted.
Ackman said he was in a fortunate enough position to support Ross and his family, claiming the donation was a chance for the ICE agent to have 'funds needed for his defence', speaking about how he became 'one of the largest funders of the Innocence Project'.
The Innocence Project is an organisation which looks to exonerate those who are wrongfully convicted and lower the chances of innocent people being convicted.
He also referenced his time as a juror in a date rape case to highlight his 'real-life perspective on what life is like for the accused'.
Ackman said that thanks to the 'social media era', the public's presumption of innocence has changed, adding: “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.”
He claimed: "You are immediately doxed. 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."
He added that critics could one day 'find yourself accused of a crime you did not commit without the financial resources needed to defend yourself'.
Ackman said that this is when people would 'strongly regret the times you have rushed to judgment on the basis of a headline', which may be based on limited evidence on a case.
“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 claimed.
Topics: GoFundMe, Social Media, US News, Donald Trump
Joshua Nair