Texas' largest newspaper, the Houston Chronicle, rebuked Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, on Saturday in an editorial, writing that the lawmaker's comment about the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was used to "vilify, inflame and divide."

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On Monday, Cruz took to X, formerly Twitter, to weigh in on the shooting as he condemned "leftists" who have voiced sympathy for the suspected shooter or expressed satisfaction over the fatal shooting.

"Leftism is a mental disease. The suspected murderer, an Ivy League graduate, 'subscribed to anti-capitalist and climate-change causes, according to law-enforcement.' And the murderer has been widely celebrated by leftists online. Tragic & sick," he wrote.

In an op-ed published by the Chronicle on Saturday, the newspaper's editorial board critiqued Cruz's response and described it as a post to "vilify, inflame and divide."

"This week he leapt into the swirling headlines around the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and suspect Luigi Mangione by doing what he does best: flattening complex issues and people into sound bites (or social media posts) that vilify, inflame and divide."