A Democrat representative reportedly invited the father of the anti-Israel suspect accused of murdering two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to President Donald Trump’s joint address in March.
In a statement to the New York Post on Thursday, a spokesperson for Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) said, “Eric Rodriguez was our guest during the President’s Joint Speech to Congress,” but noted the office was not acquainted with the man’s family.
Garcia previously said the elder Rodriquez is a veteran who serves his fellow veterans, the outlet continued:
Rodriguez also appeared in a Service Employees International Union video that same day, and said he was an Iraq War vet and an employee with the Veterans Affairs Department, the New York Times reported.
“I’ve been with the VA for three years, and the reason why I’m in Washington, DC, is because I’m concerned about what Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE are doing to the VA system.”
His son, Elias, is accused of killing 28-year-old Yaron Lischinsky and 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim in cold blood as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The Jewish-Christian couple was planning to get engaged soon.
Breitbart News called the suspect a terrorist who shouted “Free Palestine” at the time of the incident:
The attack is being described as an antisemitic act, given the venue, and given that the suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was shown on video shouting “Free, free Palestine” and other slogans as he was taken away in handcuffs. He also dropped a keffiyeh, the traditional checked headscarf that has been appropriated by Palestinian terrorists to hide their identities, and that is often worn by anti-Israel radicals.
Video footage shows two individuals detaining the suspect as he shouted, “Free, free Palestine!”:
The suspect is accused of firing nearly two dozen rounds on the couple, the Post article said, noting that “Milgrim attempted to crawl away after collapsing on the ground, according to sources and court documents.”
During a press conference on Thursday, Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect was charged with two counts of murder in the first degree along with felony firearms charges.
“This is a horrific crime, and these crimes are not going to be tolerated by me and by this office,” she said:
“A young couple at the beginning of their life’s journey, about to be engaged in another country, had their bodies removed in the cold of the night in a foreign city in a body bag. We are not going to tolerate that any more,” she stated.
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